There are a variety of such offices. The six regional tourism authorities and Shannon Development operate a national network of tourist information offices. They are open all year round in key locations and in other areas seasonal offices are open where they are justified by tourist demand. In 1996 the network comprised 94 tourist information offices, of which 38 were open all year round and 56 were seasonal offices. They deal with about 3.7 million callers each year as well as approximately 1.5 million telephone and postal inquiries. At locations which do not justify a tourist information office but where visitor demand or potential exists the RTAs and Shannon Development establish tourist information points. These are either display or sales stands or tourist literature at visitor attractions or in tourist related businesses.
Dublin Tourism operates all year round in Suffolk Street, Dublin Airport, Dun Laoghaire, Tallaght and Baggot Street Bridge. In the Shannon Development Area tourist offices in Ennis, Limerick, Shannon Airport and Tralee are open all year round as well as others in various localities.
The following TIOs have benefited to date under the current 1994-99 operational programme and INTERREG II Border programmes. All the facilities in addition to receiving EU funding have received assistance from Bord Fáilte's capital development fund. They include Blarney TIO and the Skiberreen office which was enlarged and outfitted, in Dublin City the office in Suffolk Street, Dun Laoghaire TIO and offices in County Louth, County Roscommon and County Sligo. Tourist information offices in Bantry in County Cork and Dingle and Killarney in County Kerry have been the subject of operational funding approval but construction work on them has not yet begun.