Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The focus is on supporting tourism now to ensure the sector reopens safely and as soon as possible, as the vaccination roll-out continues. There is a €55 million tourism business continuity scheme and phase 1 was announced on 1 February. In Cork, we can look at some of the benefits in respect of the supports being put in place. A wide variety of businesses in west Cork will be eligible to apply for assistance from Fáilte Ireland's tourism business continuity scheme.

In response to Covid-19 as well, Fáilte Ireland, in collaboration with local authorities, established a destination recovery task force. In respect of strategic tourism locations across the country, it will bring together stakeholders to form a co-ordinated and sustained collective response. Among those responses, I am sure the Deputy will be aware of the West Cork Calling tourism network, which oversees the implementation of two destination experience development plans that are being developed for west Cork for the long term. Those visitor experience plans are the west Cork coast, including Kinsale and Ballydehob, and The Three Peninsulas - West Cork and Kerry, and it will be ensured that the plans are aligned and that tourism and hospitality providers across both geographies work together.

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