In the second of a two- part series, tourism operators say they still have high hopes, writes Laura Slattery.

TOTAL REVENUES from tourism in 2007 came in at €6.5 billion, with sightseers, language learners, company delegates, festival goers, anglers, golfers and hill-walkers all bringing in money to the island.

So how will the business of getting more people to go on holiday here pan out in 2008, and what does the Government, the various statutory agencies and regional committees need to do to boost Ireland's charms to potential overseas visitors?

The Irish Timesasked a selection of people who work in the tourism industry.

Katherine Webster. Director, Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience, Co Clare.

"We had our first busy weekend last week and now the second one will be this weekend. St Patrick's weekend was busier than last year, but we had better weather, and at the cliffs, the weather is always a factor. Because Easter falls early this year it is hard to know if it will be the start of a surge or if there will then be a quiet period.

"We know that 2008 will bring a number of challenges because of the loss of the Heathrow route out of Shannon, but we have the Ryanair routes and other routes coming into the likes of Galway.

"So far visitor numbers from the US are holding up . . . A number of tour operators have told us that this year they are starting their tour itineraries in Dublin, because they weren't sure if Aer Lingus would keep its US routes. Aer Lingus have confirmed that they will keep the routes, and we are absolutely delighted about that. We had 940,000 visitors last year."

Margaret Jeffares. Founder, Good Food Ireland, Drinagh, Co Wexford.

"Tourism in Ireland got off to a difficult start, but there is confidence that there will be a recovery in the remainder of the year.

"Food tourism has become a fashionable word that is being bandied about, but Good Food Ireland is the only organisation that has a national food tourism strategy for the whole of Ireland. We recognise that the product is not 100 per cent right on the ground, but I always make the analogy with golf - 20 years ago, we didn't know one end of the golf course from another.

"There's 9 million visitors coming to Ireland and everybody's got to eat. It doesn't have to be the foodie, it can be the golfer coming to Ireland, but the reality is that there are operators who are not serving local Irish food and it isn't meeting tourist expectations.

"If tourists contact us and say they're driving from Dublin to Wexford, we will tell them where to get a good cup of coffee and a good sandwich. We will do a whole food itinerary for them.

"We don't have an awful lot of food producers open to the public. We need to be flexible, as they are in Italy, about allowing people to go into micro-businesses like artisan chocolatiers or a cheesemaker."

Cathal O'Donoghue, Managing director, Speciality Ireland Golf Tours, Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

"We would be very much reliant on the North American market and the weakness of the dollar is going to impact, so it will be a challenging year. But there is a core market for overseas golfing trips and it is certainly at the more upmarket end, so they may not be as affected by the dollar.

"We're still in the middle of our selling season, so it's still very hard to say what the year will be like. There has been a trend in recent seasons toward later bookings, but larger groups who need to co-ordinate teeing off times and accommodation need to book earlier and most companies will have committed groups already. May to September is the real golf season.

"There is a need for the Government to collaborate more with the various agencies to safeguard Ireland's traditional tourism and develop it. Certainly, we felt the effect of the Ryder Cup in terms of more bookings. Getting events like that into the country should be part of the overall strategy."

Olivia Quinlan. Cashel Heritage Centre and Tourist Information Office, Co Tipperary.

"Hopefully, we will have a successful year. It has been a very quiet January and February, but the St Patrick's Day Skyfest in Cashel has brought some exposure, especially for the domestic market, and hopefully it will bring more people here. Cashel is a great family place.

"The numbers in the tourist office were very high last year, but with the elections on in the US and the dollar, there may be fewer American visitors this year. The European market should do well.

"I would like to see the Rock of Cashel made a Unesco World Heritage Site in the next two to three years. That would be great for the area. We also have a conservation plan in place in the town."

Michael Houlihan. Glendalough Visitor Centre, Co Wicklow.

"We are very busy and we have a lot of students from Germany, Austria and Italy here this week on school trips. There are Americans and Australians here too - there is no noticeable drop-off.

"You would be amazed by the number of people who come walking here even in January and February and come to the visitor centre to get a map or some information. It is hard to quantify the numbers, but the car park was overflowing here over the St Patrick's Day weekend.

"The Americans coming here now probably would have booked in December or even earlier. Maybe the dollar will affect things in the summer, but I think they will still come and it is only their spending once they are here that they might cut back on.