Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

When this man is finished with the development he has for tourism in Tipperary it will be number one on the map. We need to make sure we get funding from Government to ensure we can develop the 2,500 km route. There are some exciting plans for Donegal, Mayo, Kerry, Cork and all other places on the Wild Atlantic Way. The work will take a few years.

Yesterday I attended the World Travel Market in London. A significant number of people wanted to talk about the Wild Atlantic Way. Large numbers of tourists will come from France, Germany and Europe next year. They love it and cannot get enough of it. It is a great development for the country and we need to continue developing it. Every Deputy on the route has a role to play. We must make sure that local communities know what is happening on the wild Atlantic way because cottage industries will build up around it. There are many hidden gems in the country. Even those living on the Wild Atlantic Way did not realise the beauty of certain parts of their county because they had not visited them for years.

It is exciting and good, and something we need to develop to its full potential. It is good for the country and tourism, and will bring the numbers of tourists here that we badly want. There was a 9% increase in tourism numbers in the first nine months of the year. I never thought the day would come, but when I visited London this week people were discussing the fact that there was not enough capacity in Dublin. We did not think three and a half years ago that we would need more hotels in Dublin and the rest of the country.

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