Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy McNamara for sharing time.

In principal, this will be a very worthwhile Bill if it results in the strengthening of the capacity of Fáilte Ireland to support, promote and create employment actively in the tourism sector within the regions. There has to be balance and fair play. Some regions are certainly still developing their tourism strategy. They are very much in the early stages and need more assistance. One region is my own region in the midlands where there is huge potential to be tapped into but it just needs more supports and, indeed, more of a focus. There is more to Ireland than just Dublin - we all know that. That certainly needs to be realised and captured in various strategies and supports.

The budget increase for the national tourism development authority is already quite substantial, as the Minister knows, and this is merely an enabling Bill with no direct budgetary consequences as of yet. My understanding is that it will allow capital moneys provided by the Oireachtas to be increased by €300 million to €500 million. It makes sense to create such flexibility in funding.

I acknowledge the hard work in my constituency, over many years, by Offaly County Council which works continuously to promote tourism in Offaly. We have had our own tourist office in Tullamore for the past few years which is great to see. It is also great to see that progress is being made but that is down to the work of Offaly County Council. I commend each and every one of its staff and, indeed, the county councillors who are constantly advocating for the county and promoting it in every way they can.

We have tourism treasures in Offaly that deserve every support they can get from Fáilte Ireland or elsewhere. We have Clonmacnoise, Lemanaghan monastic site, Kinnitty Castle, Birr Castle, gardens and science centre and, of course, the Tullamore Dew centre. There are considerable options to attract tourists and the potential is certainly there. We also have Lough Boora discovery park which is increasing in popularity. The increase in visitors is very visible and welcome.

We also have the Slieve Bloom mountains and, of course, the River Shannon where one can start a riverside adventure in Banagher and cruise on one of the finest natural inland waterways in Europe. There is a lot there with huge potential to be tapped into but we need supports at national level in order to make things happen.

Despite the treasures that we possess, the tourism sector and the coach sector, in particular, have been crippled in the past number of years. Our rural transport infrastructure remains disjointed and it is not served by adequate levels of trains or buses. My colleagues and I have had a number of engagements with the largest representative body for commercial bus operators. Its members are the leading providers of scheduled services, international and domestic coach tours and school transport. As a collective, it carries more than 75 million passengers per year while supporting 11,000 regional jobs and contributing more than €600 million annually to the Irish economy and yet it is on its knees and needs urgent supports.

What is a point in promoting tourist destinations if people struggle to get to them and there is such a disconnect and a lack of infrastructure and supports for the coaches which are up and running and willing to play their part in promoting tourism and meeting the needs of the region?

The decision to increase the VAT rate for hospitality from 9% to 13.5% will add to the massive financial burden under which many businesses and hotels find themselves. I am especially concerned about this because one cannot compare a region such as the midlands to Dublin. One cannot compare a small, family-run hotel in Offaly to a hotel here in the city and it is unfair to do so. I believe the fair way to do it, if everyone will be treated the same, is to reduce this VAT rate to 9% or we will see many hotels having to close their doors. We will then see a loss of jobs and I am very concerned about that. I ask for an immediate intervention.

The Government talks a good game with regard to tourism ambition for the regions but this has to be matched by actions and outcomes. Perhaps it would have made more sense to set aside the additional €200 million proposed under this Bill and offer it instead as a help towards maintaining the VAT rate at 9%. I ask whether that could be looked at. I agree with Fáilte Ireland with regard to the midlands. We need to drive growth in international visitor numbers with regard to tourism, revenue and the associated tourism employment and the regional enterprise plan.

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