The lack of Irish staff in hotels and restaurants is a cause of concern. Large numbers of staff are immigrants and while they are very good, many cannot speak English and know little or nothing about the district in which they work. Tourists hope to meet locals and find out about the places they visit. While I favour the training of personnel for the hotel industry from Slovakia and other eastern European countries, there is a need to ensure that there are plentiful numbers of Irish staff at the front line.