Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)

I too would like to commend the Minister on his decision to retain the 9% VAT rate for restaurants and the hotel industry. I point to the importance of the Minister liaising with his northern counterpart on the issue of tourism investment and ensuring tourists are attracted to visit counties such as Donegal. With the opportunities that will arise in the near future with Derry being a host port for the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and it being the City of Culture next year, tourist offices in Northern towns will be key in directing tourists to visit those counties. It was difficult in the past to get tourists to visit the northern part of the country, understandably because of the fact that we are so close to the North and there were probably not the required interlinkages. I commend him on his golf initiative covered in the Irish Independent. I ask that in his marketing strategy he gives particular attention to the points I made.

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