Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I fully agree with the Deputy. We must protect the islands and bring life back into them. They are a part of our national identity as well. I very much agree with his point on tourism, which is more developed on some islands than others. I was on the Aran Islands last summer, where tourism is very well developed. I was more recently on Cape Clear in Cork as well. We have made some very important tourism commitments. One of them is to assess the feasibility of developing new coastal walking trails and cycling routes to promote walking and cycling as part of the island experience. There is a policy measure to encourage water sports providers on the islands and to examine the feasibility of establishing new activity-based experiences that positively contribute to sustainable economic development and environmental conservation. Examples of that include sea tours, angling, kayaking, scuba diving and so on. There is also a commitment to investigate the opportunity for dark sky accreditation for the islands and to pursue astrotourism. We are very aware of the potential for tourism on the islands and we have commitments in that regard.

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