Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Our guests are very welcome. I compliment both organisations. If we look at the figures for Tourism Ireland prior to the pandemic, huge numbers were coming in and we were doing the job right. I am involved in the county tourism committee in Longford and get regular emails with updates from Mr. Kelly. Particularly since the outbreak of Covid, the Make a Break campaign has been excellent in the promotion that it has given to all parts of Ireland. I was involved with the former Minister of State, Kevin Boxer Moran, in pushing to get the Hidden Heartlands brand for our midlands area. It has proved more than successful and the numbers are ahead of the projections at the beginning. I compliment Mr. Paddy Matthews and the rest of the team working on that brand because they are doing an excellent job. It has also given an opportunity for people to get to know their own areas. People in Longford have got out and used the greenways and blueways, the walks along the river and our excellent forest walks. A part of what the Hidden Heartlands brand is about is slow, easy tourism. Hidden Heartlands has created opportunities.

I apologise if I cross over with questions that have already been asked because I had to go out of the room for a while in order to vote. Mr. Kelly mentioned a number of schemes, including CRSS. Have our guests identified areas that have not been serviced by various supports from the Government, a number of which Mr. Kelly has mentioned? Have they met with Department officials to make sure that all areas of our tourism are being supported to make sure they will all be there in 2021? Do our guests feel that Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland have sufficient funds for a marketing campaign in 2021 and 2022? Are there sufficient funds available to regain visitors to Ireland?