Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I am sure that if Deputy Matthews was here, he would have been referencing the Bray to Greystones route, which I have walked myself and which is beautiful. I mentioned the route from Dunmore to Ballymacaw. There is also a loop trail that is the final furlong of St. Declan's Way, which takes in the Ardmore cliff walk. Again, this was developed by the local authority and was done in a very sympathetic way that respected the surroundings. It is easy to diminish something like walking tourism but in the Scottish tourism economy, it is worth £1.26 billion per year. It is a complete counterpoint to that kind of coach tourism involving that kind of "gone in 60 seconds" whistle-stop tour. It slows tourists down. It is also obviously a local amenity. It gives people a real sense of place and allows them to engage with the culture and our food offering in a more meaningful way. It is in the programme for Government and is something I would like to see driven forward. We can already see the benefits in places like Wicklow and Waterford and it is a direction in which we should be moving.

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