John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy should speak for himself. If he is past it, that is his business. He is right in that many visitors coming from Britain are young people and they come for the events he described. They are more than welcome. However, we are also getting other kinds of visitors. Family visitors tend to spread out into the regions.

It is interesting to note from data that visitors coming to Ireland from the United States are normally over the age of 35, fairly educated, used to travelling and discerning. That is important because that kind of visitor spreads out into the regions, which is why we are so interested in growing the American market to have equivalence among the regions. We have a good marketing campaign in the US. There are eight large travel agent seminars this year in major cities in the US, and such seminars are very successful. I attended and spoke at one in Los Angeles last week. The major players in the trade in California were at the event and this has been replicated in other US cities.

I anticipate a substantial increase in the number of visitors from the US and, because of the age profile and other profiles attached to visitors from there, I anticipate an increase in the number of visitors to the regions this year. Allied to the other measures which I mentioned in reply to Question No. 4, this should ensure a much greater degree of equivalence. I am expecting that 2005 will surpass our best year, 2004. I hope this is reflected not just in Dublin but in the regions and sectors.

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