Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the proposers of the motion for tabling it. The tourism and hospitality sectors are vital industries in many parts of the country where there is little else to employ people or provide them with opportunities. For a long time now, particularly during the Covid pandemic, the sector has faced a huge difficulty in trying to survive. Many of its members were very grateful for the assistance that came from Government, which was spread out over a number of years. It kept them in a space in which they were able to manage to survive. Many who closed down during the pandemic would not have been able to reopen but for the unfortunate fact that the war in Ukraine started. Many people came from Ukraine and took up space in hotels, guesthouses, etc. However, that has also put pressure on many of the small towns. I am thinking of Bundoran, one such town in my own constituency, where many such people are accommodated. This means that other businesses in the town that depend on tourism do not have numbers of tourists coming because accommodation is not available for them. I know the position is changing, and it needs to change. Hopefully, we can find a way out of that.

Many tourism businesses face difficult circumstances during the lean times of year. They are fine in the summertime when things are going well but, during the rest of the year, they face huge difficulty in managing to survive. The Government needs to assist them in every way possible. I support the possibility of putting in place some kind of review of the VAT rate. A rebate of PRSI can and should be targeted at many of these businesses that have to try to survive.

I also recognise that there is a huge problem with transport infrastructure in many areas. Many people arrive here - my colleague mentioned Dublin Airport as an example - and the only way they can travel around Ireland, by and large, is to hire a car because they have to drive. We need to change that. We need to put adequate public transport systems in place across the entire country. Opening up the western rail corridor is an example of that and would make a huge difference. There is also the use of our regional airports for more tourism traffic. All these things need to happen. We need to see a sense of ambition from the Government, not just to provide for this industry, but to develop and sustain it into the future.

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