Chris Capper BBC Northern Ireland reporter

Fermanagh people like to tell visitors that for six months of the year the lakes are in the county and for the other six Fermanagh is in the lakes.

They will probably be adjusting those timescales in the wake of record levels of rainfall.

But poor weather and the strength of sterling mean this has not been a great season for tourism, the second most important element of the Fermanagh economy after agriculture.

Walking is popular in the area

The Fermanagh visitor centre in Enniskillen reports that enquiries to the end of July at 23,000 were down some 3,000 compared to last year.

"It's been fairly busy despite the bad weather," said centre manager Charlotte Wilson.

"But it's still early days, the summer's not over yet and hopefully it will improve."

The perception is that visitors from abroad are not put off by the weather, having booked and paid for their holiday already.

But day and weekend visitors from the rest of Northern Ireland are not coming in the same numbers as usual.

"The Germans have a wonderful saying: 'There's no such thing as bad weather, only badly dressed people,'" is the optimistic view taken by Michael McCaldin of the Aghinver boat hire company.

High rainfall has made Lough Erne more navigable for boats, but he admits: "It hasn't been a busy year".

Mr McCaldin estimates business is down 15% on last year, which itself was a poorer year than usual.

He blames a number of factors, including the strength of sterling and the closure of Enniskillen airport which meant the end of direct flights carrying visitors from Switzerland.

The only thing we knew about Fermanagh before we came was the hospitality

Carlos Santos Spaniard

As a result, boat hire companies have reduced their fleets.

It is a happier story at Fermanagh Lakeland Lodges.

"For us it's been very good, a very good year. We've had 100% capacity," said owner Rosaleen Beare.

Extra advertising effort in the wake of last year's tourist season, which was affected by foot-and-mouth disease, paid off.

"This year it's been a harder sell I have to say, but people have come."

June Elliott, of the Fermanagh Farm and Country House Association, said that numbers were down generally.

"The weather is a factor in it. People move away to where they expect better weather," she said.

But she added there were other reasons - more competition as more accommodation businesses open up and the strength of sterling leading people to take up "good offers" in the Republic of Ireland.

Euro

However, August is traditionally a better month than July for Fermanagh tourism and the season is far from over.

"The only thing we knew about Fermanagh before we came was the hospitality," was the generous remark from Spaniard Carlos Santos, enjoying a drink in the famous Blake's of the Hollow pub in Enniskillen.

But Christy Cleary of Blake's said: "To me, it hasn't been particularly busy".

European visitors, he added, were saying that they found Northern Ireland expensive, now they could make a direct comparison in euro with the republic.

Many visitors from the rest of Northern Ireland were indeed themselves making the most of the exchange rate by heading to Sligo or Donegal town.

However, that was good news for tourists who found they enjoyed the freedom from crowds in Fermanagh.

In this laidback and resilient county, there is always a positive angle to be found.

Strange queries

Fermanagh's Tourist Information Centre deals with thousands of enquiries every year - not all of them straightforward nor, indeed, strictly related to tourism.

They include: