Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

I am not sure I can spearhead such an initiative but if the Deputy has specific proposals I would be happy to have a meeting with him to see what can be done in this regard and involving those agencies. The most visited OPW site is the Rock of Cashel which is not situated in a traditional tourism hot spot, in the core of Ireland. It is crucial to develop a cluster of attractions because people are more likely to stay. There has been a lot happening on the development of activity tourism, in particular cycling and walking tourism, through the development of green ways and if we can afford it, the development of cycle and walking routes across Ireland which is a good way to bring people off the beaten track and encourage them to stay overnight in places they would not otherwise consider.

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