To ensure we reach this target, Government agencies such as Failte Ireland and the institutes of technology (ITs) are charged with providing the skills the tourism industry needs to stay ahead of its competitors in enticing people into the country.

Tourism has increased enormously in sophistication in recent years and the number of courses and their design has changed immeasurably. Industry also works hand in hand with third level and Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) bodies to ensure that employees in the sector are continuously upskilled and that secondary school leavers looking for a career in tourism get the best possible qualifications.

"Tourism is a phenomenon with social, cultural and economic influences, " says Dr Michael Mulvey, director of the faculty of tourism and food at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). "That determines the manner in which it is studied at third level and it is the reason that DIT has tourism at faculty level. It's also combined with food and treated as a discipline in its own right."

This combination of food and tourism has allowed the institute to put together a critical mass of people, with more than 100 academics working in this educational sector, developing the research capabilities that informs the industry at home and abroad. "We have a huge capability in the food area: we have culinary arts such as food science and technology and we're moving into an area called nutraceuticals , , fortified foods such as cholesterol-reducing spreads.

We're also developing an undergraduate programme in health and nutrition. This all goes towards raising standards in the tourism sector, " says Mulvey.

As the tourism sector has become more specialised, third-level institutions have had to respond to the industry's needs to help keep up with rising visitor numbers.

"We have courses in event management, tourism marketing and leisure management to name a few, " says Mulvey. "We've also developed masters courses in tourism and hospitality management and we have people studying to PhD level."

Many of the participants in the masters and PhD programmes are industry workers upskilling, which ties into and underlines the strong links between third-level institutions and the tourism sector.

The tourism industry also participates by having representatives on the academic validation panel. Even when the institute is interviewing staff for the faculty there's an industry representative involved.

All the ITs run business studies and tourism courses. Failte Ireland also runs numerous FETAC courses for people in the sector or those wishing to enter it. John Mulcahy, head of skills training at Failte Ireland, says training and skills are critical for the business. "When it comes down to people making up their minds where to go, they have the same green grass, rivers and mountains in Kilimanjaro as they do in Kerry. What it comes down to is people and how they respond to and receive visitors , , that's why skills and training are so important."

Mulcahy emphasises the role the sector plays in course structures and development.

"When Failte Ireland developed a human resource strategy for the sector, several well-known hoteliers gave their input and advice on the strategy and the courses that need to be developed, " he says.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Food and tourism have been slowly coming together as something of a duo to attract more visitors to these shores. In a recent speech, Brendan Smith TD, Minister for Food and Horticulture, said: "The success of our tourism impacts on our food industry and vice versa. Both industries are dependent on the same perceptions of Ireland internationally, in particular our reputation for quality food and the wholesomeness of our natural environment."

Many people will now decide on Ireland as a location not only for its spectacular scenery and the traditional reasons that this country is often chosen as a tourist destination, but also for its growing reputation for good cuisine, exacting food hygiene standards and clean drinking and recreational water.

Again, the colleges that cater for tourism skills have identified this and developed numerous courses to meet this kind of demand. Gary Heneghan, head of food science at DIT, says: "We are responsible for training all the environmental health of"cers who ensure safe food production in all premises and monitor water quality. That course is a degree in environmental health, but we also have degree courses in food technology, food processing and nutraceuticals. In addition we have postgraduate courses, including masters in food safety management and environmental health and safety management."