Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)

I thank the Minister for such a detailed reply. It seems Ireland has become a short-stay destination. The Ryder Cup was referred to in the previous question. Golfers stay longer and I am hopeful the Ryder Cup will have an influence in tempting people to travel outside the Pale and visit golf courses in the regions. I suggest they be given a badge to allow them visit all the golf courses in a particular area as is the custom for racecourses.

The CEO of Fáilte Ireland has stated Punchestown will be highlighted as being a national festival, on a par with Cheltenham. This aspect of promotion of value for money can be repeated in other areas of tourism. The Galway races has its own niche in the tourism sector. I note that national hunt racing does not seem to be a problem yet the only big days for flat racing are when the classic races are run and the biggest day is derby day. We do not seem to be successful in attracting interest from the US and Europe for flat racing compared to national hunt racing. Has Fáilte Ireland or other tourism agencies examined the uses made of grant funding? We certainly have a wide spectrum of opportunities, including the website, which must be oriented towards developing tourism. Are we getting true value for the money being invested to attract visitors from the United Kingdom? Given the high value of the British pound against the euro, one would expect to see a major increase in the British market, but that does not appear to be the case. This is reflected in what I said earlier about flat racing. We have the Curragh meeting and many other classic flat racing events but we do not seem to be drawing British tourists to them.

What can be done to increase the percentage of visitors from the United Kingdom? It seems obvious from a monetary point of view, given the value of the pound, that British tourists should be attracted to this country.

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