Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Banotti. I have some questions for Mr. Kelly relating to tourism, and I will be somewhat parochial. My constituency of Longford and Westmeath is somewhere between Ireland's Ancient East programme and the Hidden Heartlands. Specifically, in 2017, and I am referring to Fáilte Ireland's own figures, the midlands, which would include Laois and Offaly, there were 218,000 tourists representing €85 million, and 93,000 holidaymakers representing €27 million. I cannot put this in any stronger terms. We cannot afford to lose one cent of that money in the midlands. We need every cent of it and more, particularly when we add Brexit into this conundrum as we face coming out of Covid-19.

Regarding the Hidden Heartlands programme, that is still very much in its infancy. It is only two years old.

The midlands region, including the Ireland's Hidden Heartlands region, cannot go back to being pitted against the likes of Dublin, Cork and Galway. Tourism operators in my area tell me that people are initially reluctant and hesitant. They do not know much about the centre of the country because all they see is the advertising campaigns for the larger cities, but when they do come they fall in love with the place and come back time and again. The Ireland's Hidden Heartlands programme is based on a trend of soft activities. The centre of the country is overflowing with them, including water sports, forest trails, castles, heritage parks and the River Shannon. It is very strongly linked to the arts and entertainment sectors because of the number of theatres and festivals we have. The Fleadh Cheoil was to be in Mullingar this year. The Life Festival is also held in the area. We also have the Marquee in Drumlish Festival and the Granard Harp Festival. There is a variety to choose from. Each of these is now cancelled.

Moreover, due to our geographical location, we do not have an effective rail system. Not everybody drives. What engagement has Fáilte Ireland had with coach and tour operators? What engagement has it had with the fishing and angling groups who come over at least twice a year? What specific additional advertising and marketing supports will be made available to the likes of this region?

Mr. Kelly referred to the online business supports, which are a very good initiative. What is the interest rate on the working capital loan scheme and why, in Mr. Kelly's opinion, has there been so little uptake?

On the "Ireland, make a break for it" campaign, I really dislike the word "staycation". I much prefer "laethanta here-a", based on a phrase we are all familiar with from school if that is our level of Irish. How does the "Ireland, make a break for it" campaign compare to other initiatives like that of the Italian Government promoting Venice? Is there something else we could look for later in the year?