ABSTRACT
The stagnation of the Northern Irish market immediately stands out in marked contrast to the doubling of the Republic's visitor total. Visitors to Ireland are representatives of a public that quickly became all too aware of the blacker side of Irish affairs through a media coverage that reached saturation point. Surveys are conducted regularly by both Bord Failte and the Northern Irish Tourist Board eliciting, inter alia, information on the attractions to holidaymakers and their usage of various products. The ice and water that have acted as agents of erosion and deposition in the moulding of the Irish landscape have also presented a series of more specific resources for tourist exploitation through activity-based holidays. In coastal areas a high proportion of superior quality fine sand beaches washed by clean Atlantic waters provide a superior resource in comparison to the littoral on the other side of the Irish Sea.
