Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this item for debate and I thank the Minister of State for attending.

This is a critical issue for the tourism industry in the midlands. I have highlighted this to find out why the midlands has been excluded from the second biggest overseas market. It is said there are 44 million people in the US who claim Irish ancestry. In 2012, the advertisement that was run in the United States vacation planner published by Tourism Ireland and distributed throughout the USA, with a circulation of 175,000, made no reference to the midlands. The map that was published left the midlands completely blank and indicated tourists coming to Ireland could tour from Dublin to Dublin along the coastline in ten days doing 122 miles per day. In the advertising material in the same publication in 2010, three pages were dedicated to the midlands that highlighted the mix of amenities we have to offer, from Mullingar to Athlone, Longford, Enniskillen, Roscommon, Carrick-on-Shannon and Tullamore. It is not just an issue affecting my constituency; it affects the entire midlands region.

The only advertisement run in the 2012 publication was organised by Belvedere House and Gardens itself, with the tag line "Your President did it, you can too.", making a play on the fact President Obama visited the midlands when he came to Ireland in 2011. When we talk about the Government's jobs strategy, tourism has been highlighted as a central plank of the strategy, and the statistics used by Fáilte Ireland for The Gathering suggest that for every 70 overseas visitors who come to Ireland, a job is created. Why, then, did the Government let Tourism Ireland leave the midlands blank when advertising in the second biggest market?

The midlands has plenty to offer any tourist. In my constituency, Westmeath County Council developed Belvedere House and Gardens at a cost of more than €10 million. Athlone castle was recently renovated. There is the Hill of Uisneach, Kilbeggan distillery, one of the largest whiskey distilleries in the world, Kilbeggan race course, the Royal Canal, the Grand Canal, the River Shannon, huge numbers of lakes and Abbeyshrule, just down the road from my own home, which is the tidiest town in Ireland. Tourism Ireland, however, has still chosen to leave the midlands out of its advertising in the United States.

It is very disappointing the Government has let this happen and shows its neglect of the midlands. Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the launch of mullingar.ie. This initiative was developed by a number of prominent business people and community activists in Mullingar, supported by Westmeath County Council, the county enterprise board, Leader, the Chamber of Commerce and Celtic Media, the group that owns the Westmeath Examiner. They have designed a website to promote Mullingar and to show all there is to offer. International stars Niall Horan of One Direction and Niall Breslin come from Mullingar, as did the late, great Joe Dolan. The members of this group are doing it for themselves, they are not relying on the Government to market them.

Why in 2012 were the midlands omitted from Tourism Ireland marketing in the United States? It is not the Minister of State's responsibility but I want a clear commitment in the House that this will not be repeated in 2013. The midlands have plenty to offer and I want to ensure we get an equal amount of advertising by Tourism Ireland.

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