Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I have raised this issue on a number of occasions and I require clarification. Are the figures for overseas visitors based solely on the numbers entering this jurisdiction through airports and seaports with no distinction drawn between actual visitors and Irish people returning home? This was the case and if it is still the case, it means the figures are not at all indicative of the true factual position.

Does the Minister of State accept that Irish people travel overseas in ever greater numbers and their return journeys are included as numbers accessing Ireland? Has any examination or methodology other than the return of numbers entering via airports and seaports been explored, employed or considered in order to have a more accurate picture of the real throughput of visitor numbers? Does the CSO co-operate with Tourism Ireland in determining numbers? Will the Minister of State consider evaluating hotel, bed and breakfast and other accommodation bed-night numbers as a more certain indication of the real numbers visiting our shores on an annual basis?

These figures reflect only visitor numbers coming through airports and seaports across the Twenty-six Counties. The Minister of State indicated previously that of necessity progress will be made on having an all-island approach to determine the true statistical visitor numbers and that the ports of Larne and Belfast and Belfast City and Belfast International Airports would all be included. The numbers already cited, which I believe are inaccurate, are further skewed given that a significant and perhaps growing number of visitors enter the island of Ireland through Northern access points. Will the Minister of State indicate what progress has been made in this regard? Will he come clean on the accuracy of the figures he presented? Does he agree with this Deputy that the figures are not reliable?

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