Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy O'Mahony for sharing his time and support the motion tabled by our colleague Deputy Mitchell. I wish the Minister luck in her new portfolio, which has been rebranded. I hope she, unlike her predecessors in that portfolio, will take a hands-on approach to tourism. Tourism is in decline, not necessarily in the urban areas or the major cities, but throughout the country in rural areas. There are many reasons for this - we could lay blame all over the place - but there is no doubt the high costs endured by visitors have turned away many people.

There is one thing in particular the Minister must achieve. All agencies involved in tourism - Fáilte Ireland, the OPW, the local authorities and so on - must be drawn together to produce a co-ordinated package, which has been needed for a long time. Many people contributing to this debate have mentioned the OPW, which has done tremendous work in terms of physical building, conservation and so on. However, last week on St. Patrick's Day, the first day of the tourism season in Ireland, what happened? The OPW closed the doors of museums, castles and other facilities around the country. Tourists who had come from every part of the world found that when the parades were over the doors were closed on most of the opportunities for us to show off our culture and heritage, which most of them had come to see. It is important that in two weeks' time, when another tranche of visitors arrives for Easter week, the Minister insists that all these facilities be available to the public, particularly those who have come from abroad to see them.

I mentioned the need for a hands-on approach. I reminded the Minister's predecessor of the wonderful hub of tourist activity in Portumna, County Galway, that was centred on Emerald Star Line, which provides boats on the Shannon and Lough Derg. The company decided to take 60% of its operation from Portumna and bring it to France, which must have set alarm bells ringing in tourism circles about what could happen in our country. I highlighted this to the former Minister, who chose to ignore it and said it was a commercial decision of the company to move elsewhere. Surely, hidden within that statement, there was an acknowledgement that we were losing the battle and that he, as Minister with responsibility for tourism, was doing nothing to turn it around.

We must consider what a community can do for tourism when it gets involved. That is why I am asking that the Minister activate the community. For example, Galway won, against international competition, the chance to host once more the finish of the Volvo Ocean Race once, through the initiative of a community-based organisation led by two fantastic entrepreneurs who decided they could compete with the best, not only in Europe, but also in the world, to bring the race back to Galway. This will bring 200,000 bed nights and €60 million to a small city, and its effects will also reverberate around the county. That could be replicated in many areas around the country to allow the industry to grow once more, if only there was an initiative by the Government. To be fair, the Government did support Galway's endeavour through grant aid.

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