Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

It is a matter of urgency that we get on with this package, and much of it is being dealt with in the context of the upcoming Estimates and budgetary process. We should approach part of the issue in that manner. I had a very good meeting recently with the Irish Hotels Federation and I also met with various bodies in the Shannon region. I had good discussions with their representatives in recent days regarding how we can best prepare the region for open skies and in respect of the challenging and competitive environment that exists.

Shannon can continue to avail of a growing tourism market. I will not bore Members by referring to the statistics but it is clear the numbers of visitors to the region have been increasing, as have visitor revenues. For the first seven months of this year, the numbers coming into the region increased significantly. In my opinion, the region can continue to avail of a strong growth in inward tourism by remaining competitive. The Minister for Transport is preparing the plan and he will bring it forward as soon as our work in respect of it concludes.

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