Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)

I read with great interest the tourist figures that have been bandied about for the past month. I am somewhat confused as all tourist operators as well as those involved in hotels, pubs and bed and breakfast accommodation have told me that the tourist figures are down. Who collates these figures? Are they independent? Is every Ryanair and Aer Lingus passenger deemed to be a tourist? Fewer tourists are coming to the country than two years ago and tourism is unbalanced. The area around Dublin and the east coast is getting the lion's share of tourists. Further west and on the west coast there are significant difficulties. What criteria are used to collate these figures? Are they independent? We must ensure that is the case.