Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Bailey is correct in saying Dublin has a lot to offer. The brand that has been developed has proven itself. More than 10 million people will visit the island of Ireland this year, which is a phenomenal number. More than 8.5 million will visit the Republic and a huge proportion of those will visit Dublin. Dublin’s brand is very strong. That is why the Government is also driving other brands, namely, the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Ancient East because we have a commitment in the programme for Government that we want to drive tourism out into the regions as well. There is no doubt we have a constraint in Dublin in terms of availability of accommodation and transport but Dublin is the capital city and like every other capital city it deserves to be promoted. That is why Fáilte Ireland is promoting it but we are doing it in a balanced way. We are very conscious of the fact that there are other regions that are still not where they should be in terms of tourism development and that is why we are trying to treat everybody fairly.

The suggestions Deputy Bailey made about sports tourism are akin to those made by Deputy Durkan recently. If she has specific suggestions or initiatives that could be promoted by Fáilte Ireland or the Department we would be open to them.

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