We always hear from Tourists how they love our countryside, but recent figures show that few people can now afford the costs. The Irish tourism industry slumped last year, and the pattern has continued into 2009.

The volume of American and British tourists coming to our shores has dropped dramatically. Many of our world-renowned attractions have seen a reduction of around 10%. One of the few exemptions to the trend is the Guinness Hopstore – which has seen a growth in tourism.

The slump in the tourism sector is largely due to the global recession, and the weak pound, keeping the Britains in Britain and the Americans in America- but both can save money by hiring a car, instead of trains, to get around our shores.