ABSTRACT
Propaganda, much of it originating from Britain, had created a vibrant pre-Great War tourism industry. Domestic tourism was a virtuous duty, cleverly propagandised as workers' rights. Road improvements were critical to promoting tourism. External Affairs gained a prominent, yet accidental, role in tourism propaganda. The public service requirement of linguistic ability in Irish as an employment criterion – itself an example of nationalist propaganda by social engineering – meant that teachers, in particular, were regular Gaeltacht visitors. Industry and Commerce ostensibly promoted tourism, but devolved responsibility to the Irish Tourist Association (ITA), masking prevarication and disinterest with a semblance of support. While Cumann na nGaedheal's tourism propaganda encompassed economic development, and Fianna Fáil's boosted national pride, the ITA set about improving the product, and better accommodation standards was the cornerstone of its message. Like the Free State, Ulster had an underdeveloped tourist industry: poor transport and hotels bedevilled attempts to capitalise on its attractions.
