Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I feel like going online and booking a short break in Waterford after that contribution. I thank the witnesses for their presentations. The discussion this morning has been very positive and I commend the work of the various organisations represented here. It is excellent to see a sector on an upward trajectory given the fact that in recent years most sectors were on a downward one. I must also acknowledge the work of our Minister in shaping policy direction. Initiatives like the 9% VAT rate for the tourism and hospitality industry, the travel tax and The Gathering have had a very positive impact. I see the importance of the 9% VAT rate to tourism in Kerry every day. I meet people who are now in jobs who would not be working were it not for that initiative. It is a measure which I fought hard to retain in the last budget and hope it will be retained into the future. In fact, it should be extended to other sectors. It is a beacon for the rest of the economy and shows how a proactive tax policy can actually generate benefits which outweigh any losses.

I welcome the development of the Wild Atlantic Way. I live on it and am very excited about it. It is giving peripheral areas which would not have previously benefited from tourism a chance to do so. It encourages people not just to pass through such areas but to stop and add value to local economies. I acknowledge the co-operation of Fáilte Ireland with regard to Cloghane and Brandon on the Dingle Peninsula in west Kerry, which were not initially on the Wild Atlantic Way route but work is now under way to include them, which I appreciate.

In terms of marketing, I have a suggestion which may sound a little off the wall. Bearing in mind that the UK market is on our doorstep and the Wild Atlantic Way is ideal for driving holidays, I e-mailed the BBC a couple of weeks ago suggesting that it do a "Top Gear" special on the Wild Atlantic Way. It would be a fantastic way to showcase the Wild Atlantic Way, not just to the UK market but to markets all over the world. "Top Gear" has a huge cult following and an enormous global audience. I know that people will respond to that and say we do not want so-called boy racers coming over here, but realistically those who could afford to come here to drive the Wild Atlantic Way would be in the higher end of the market. It would be hoped they would have a little more sense and know better than to speed around those roads. A "Top Gear" special would be a fantastic way to showcase our western coast. In that context, I would ask for the support of the tourism agencies-----