Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I did and I can tell the Deputy that the Wild Atlantic Way has really taken off. That is why it was necessary to develop the Ireland's Ancient East initiative and then the Dublin proposition.

The most successful of them all has been the Wild Atlantic Way, a great initiative and something I promoted at Government level. I have given a commitment, as Minister of State, that the funding will be provided to finish that project. It will take time and we have run into difficulties with other agencies. My Department and Fáilte Ireland are having discussions with the other Departments. As the Deputy will know, with all these sensitive areas, we have very sensitive people monitoring what is going on, so we have to be very careful.

I am very proud of what has happened in tourism over the past four and a half years. In the first ten months of this year we have had an increase of almost 13% in the number of visitors. Almost 8 million people will have entered into the country this year. This has not been the best year in the past four or five years, but the best year ever. We will try to increase that by a further 4% next year.

More than 220,000 people are employed in tourism. It is a great product. As Deputies McConalogue and McGinley know, we can get people employed in every corner of County Donegal and every corner of rural Ireland. That is the great thing about tourism. I am committed to rebalancing and trying to get as much infrastructure into rural areas to try to create the jobs and give people the opportunity to work in their own area.

We have a great facility there. Anybody can say what they like but the Wild Atlantic Way has been the greatest initiative since the foundation of the State.

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