TOURISM IS BIG business for Ireland – and we’re not just talking about Americans sporting “Kiss Me I’m Irish” T-shirts.

Domestic travellers are the lifeblood of the pubs, hotels and B&Bs in many towns across the isle.

But what happens when tourists decide your district’s best feature is the road that takes them as quickly as possible out of there?

Here’s that and all the other business news that’s been on a sight-seeing tour of the 26 counties this week:

Need to know

Not all places were created equal… At least not in the eye of tourists

Holliers in the Irish countryside, is there anything better? The rolling green hills, rugged coastline and quaint towns – this island crams it all into a neat package.

Well this week we learned the shocking fact that despite all that culture and natural beauty, Irish people have some definite turn-offs when it comes to their blossoming love-affair with the domestic trip.

At least these guys know how to enjoy themselves cosmo_71 cosmo_71

The latest Central Statistics Office figures revealed an Irish jaunt is back in favour among local travellers with residents taking 5.2% more domestic trips in the second quarter of 2014 than the same time last year.

But the numbers also unearthed the harsh reality that some counties are marked no-go zones for Irish people taking a holiday or visiting their near and dear.

Last year domestic travellers made only an anaemic 129,000 visits to the two border counties of Louth and Monaghan, while the midlands counties of Laois and Offaly fared little better with only 146,000 trips.

Meanwhile, the top destination, Dublin, got 1.34 million trips followed by Cork with 740,000.

We also heard from tourism operators that the country’s southwest and southern regions were going off their nuts with tourists this season.

Businesses said it was the Germans, in particular, who had been bringing their lederhosen in record numbers to attractions like the Wild Atlantic Way along the country’s west coast.

Nice to know

• It pays to read the fine print, as a posse of disgruntled Smyths Toys customers found out this week. Ireland’s biggest toy chain black balled a bunch of online orders after discovering clients had tried to use multiple discount vouchers on the deals, which it said was a breach of its terms and conditions
• The pre-budget chatter ramped up this week as the heat over the McNulty-gate affair died down (slightly). Tax cuts for the squeezed public, tax cuts for business, debt cuts for government – you name it, they lobbied for it as budget time drew ever nearer
• It’s a feature, not a flaw was how Samsung, the world’s biggest mobile phone maker, defended the gap between the screen and frame on its new Galaxy Note 4 jumbo smartphone. No doubt there were a few schadenfreude-inspired chuckles at Apple HQ after Samsung’s recent tongue-in-cheek ads for the “phablet” which mocked the new iPhone’s alleged bending habit

• Job gains and job losses were in the headlines as the impending shut down of Beckman Coulter’s Galway factory, with the cutting of 140 jobs, proved Ireland’s recent economic tailwinds weren’t blowing evenly across the country. But in positive news, Waterford got an extra 150 jobs, Dundrum got 400 and Limerick got 140 new positions

Now you know

• UK Prime Minister David Cameron was accused of wanting jobs and investment currently headed Ireland’s way after he gave the government a gentle tongue lashing for its notorious “double Irish” tax loophole
• A used-car salesman was convicted of misleading the public over the sale of crashed and dangerous cars. Cue a feeling of satisfaction from just-about everyone who has ever bought a used car from a shifty dealer

Low mileage, only one owner? AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

One for the road

Between the odd hours and the insatiable crush of the daily news cycle, journalism can be a cruel mistress at the best of times.

But giant killer bees rarely feature among the hazards associated with the business, at least not in TheJournal.ie’s pollen-free offices.

So let’s take a moment to commiserate with this US Fox News meteorologist who came under “attack” on camera while delivering her bulletin.

So technically it wasn’t really a giant bee – just the normal-sized insect massively magnified as it flew close to the lens – but we’re still with you in solidarity, Jennifer.

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