Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 3 May 2023

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media

Developing Rural Tourism: Discussion

Ms Elaina Fitzgerald Kane:

It is really difficult. I have a lot of family in the United States and I am aware of how taxi businesses are being used to supplement incomes there. Surely we could look at incentives or some sort of community schemes here. That is a huge thing. We need to see continued investment in greenways and blueways and it needs to go hand in hand with transportation investment.

With the very real humanitarian crisis we are facing with asylum seekers and refugees from Ukraine, alternatives to accommodation really need to be explored. Existing infrastructure that could be repurposed needs to be looked at. We have also seen modular housing being used very successfully overseas. While it is not the best option available because of its temporary nature, it is really important. We also need to see funding put in place for the those downstream businesses. The season has not kicked off in earnest yet. It is going to be profound, particularly where there are high degrees of accommodation contracted as well. The constraint on accommodation, particularly in some centres where all the accommodation is available, and the impact of that is going to be huge. In the interim we need some sort of funding in place for businesses that are affected by it. Ms Campbell referred to activity providers, so perhaps she would like to follow up.

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