Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses. Some of them make regular appearances before the committee. I would hope in the same way that a judge dismisses a jury after a period that it might be a while before they appear before us again. We know that all of our witnesses are very passionate about their business. Hopefully, they feel the same about what we do as a committee. One of the big issues we have been looking at is rural tourism. A range of concerns have arisen. There are many challenges in the tourism sector, but there are quite specific challenges outside the cities and the major urban centres.

I would like to focus on two issues and any of the witnesses can address them. I get the point about the VAT rate. Obviously we are moving quite close to budgetary decisions and the VAT issue has been pointed to on a regular basis. Apart from the VAT issue, what decisions should Government consider in the budget that may be able to specifically support rural tourism?

My second question is about diversification in rural areas, which is support for activity and accommodation provisions. One of the concerns raised here previously is that many hotels, especially in rural areas, are being used to house refugees. That is necessary but what other alternatives are there? How can we support, as Ms Fitzgerald Kane mentioned, farm diversification, the traditional B&B model, glamping and so on? What are the financial and policy considerations we need to consider to advance those possibilities?