Tourism growth would win an A+ from Miss Quinn

Miss Quinn was right. The world had changed.

If you were lucky as a young child, you will have benefited from a teacher who could inspire, encourage and open your eyes. Mine, when I was growing up in the Irish city of Limerick in 1969, was Miss Quinn.

She was no soft touch. If you didn't do your homework she could turn the air blue. As a 9-year-old you didn't want a repeat performance of being singled out for a tongue lashing. One day, I can remember it clearly, it was snowing heavily. Some of the students had been unable to make it to school from the countryside. The class was about half full. She came in with a map and told us she was going to talk to us about the world for our geography class. Name a city in China, she asked. A forest of hands went up.