Mr. Denis Brady:

The problem is that our area is not receiving its fair share of exposure in tourism promotion. That is why we believe we have to shout louder. The new initiative with Dundalk, Newry and Warrenpoint will try to address the issue. If we cannot have our area promoted as a tourism destination because we are not doing enough in that regard, we have only ourselves to blame. The money allocated for the Narrow Water bridge project was part of the tourism offering, but it has now been withdrawn. In the next round of European funding tourism will be off the agenda and funds will be allocated for roads and infrastructural projects. We lost out badly in that regard. It is very important that tourism be promoted properly. Newry and Mourne hosted the conference, yet the Northern Ireland Tourist Board gave the Mountains of Mourne initiative a three-second slot in its roadshow.