This paper examines visitor reactions to a varied inland water environment and the management implications that result. It is based on a survey of cruising on the interlinked systems of Lough Erne, the Shannon-Erne Waterway and the River Shannon in north-west Ireland. Knowledge of visitors' demands and reactions to water bodies and bankside features is considered vital to the successful management of waterways, particularly in the context of developing a sustainable tourism product that demands the preservation of the integrity of the environment. The study is opportune in that the 1994 reopening of the Shannon-Erne Waterway allows the implementation of safeguards at an early stage of development when scope for influencing the future is greater. The results are useful in providing an insight into what visitors value, so that these can be considered while simultaneously providing for expansion in an economically deprived region. An incomplete understanding of the environmental system is evident in the common assumption that no conflicts exist. Specific considerations for management include the need to preserve the core features of an unspoiled and tranquil rural landscape through careful siting of additional mooring sites and other infrastructural support, and zonation and other restrictions on more intrusive water-sports. Some false perceptions of environmental conditions need countering through provision of information, and a code of practice is required to minimize depletions of fish stocks that provide an important ancillary recreational activity. Present pressures on the natural environment are not great, but may grow following initial good publicity, although much is dependent upon political events in Northern Ireland. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited.
