Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)
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Question 71: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if she will liaise with public service bodies to ensure that those interfacing with tourists will make facilities and services available to tourists at competitive prices in view of the downturn in the tourism industry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13937/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The tourism renewal group emphasised that it is essential to get costs, competitiveness and pricing right in order to compete effectively in tourism. I am glad to see many State bodies that provide services to tourists are taking this advice on board in the initiatives they are taking and in their pricing policy for 2010. For example, despite challenging financial circumstances, the Office of Public Works has announced that most seasonal OPW sites will open earlier in 2010 to coincide with Easter and that admission prices have been held at 2009 levels.

The OPW is striving to maintain the balance between conservation, preservation and tourism needs and budgetary realities but nonetheless it has secured an extension of the season at a number of important regional sites. I have no doubt my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, is instrumental in seeing to that. The Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism is working with the OPW to maximise the tourism potential of its existing portfolio of tourism sites. I welcome the fact that the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, is linked to the two Departments as it is a critical link.

In keeping with the budget announcement on discounted travel to senior citizens, Fáilte Ireland, in conjunction with Iarnród Éireann, has developed a free rail travel scheme, the golden trekker, to boost overseas visitor numbers among a strong market segment for Irish tourism. The scheme, which was launched on 16 March, provides for free mainline, commuter and DART rail tickets to all tourists to Ireland aged 66 and over and there is no restriction on nationality or country of residence. We should also acknowledge that admission to the national collections at our national cultural institutions remains free of charge, which is not the norm in many European countries.

Indeed, in 2009 the number of visitors to our cultural institutions exceeded 3 million, representing an increase on the 2008 figures. Furthermore, access to the digitised on-line 1911 census, hosted by the National Archives and which has proved so popular with the overseas diaspora and will hopefully provide a boost to genealogical tourism, is free of charge. In addition, the Department's own website, www.irishgenealogy.com which is making church records of births, marriages and deaths available on-line is also free.

Fáilte Ireland provides free information to tourists through its various websites and a regional network of tourist information offices, visitor information points, and kiosks. This includes local and national information on things to see and do, what is on and where, route planning, dining and information on accommodation. The new quarterly "Discover Ireland" publications, the festivals and events guide and the golf guide are available to tourists free of charge. The spring edition of "Discover Ireland" includes a range of discounted offers in the accommodation, visitor attractions, golf courses and food areas. A series of regional guides covering things to do and see is currently being produced and will be available free of charge through the tourist office network. A series of local town maps is also available free of charge to tourist office visitors.

Fáilte Ireland is also working with tourism businesses generally in 2010 to help them control their costs and make them more competitive. During 2009, they provided training and business supports directly to almost 3,000 individual tourism businesses and, in 2010, will be investing over €11 million in the form of direct supports and advice for tourism enterprises. Business supports are aimed at assisting key tourism businesses to increase their international customer base, better manage their cost base, improve overall performance and sustain employment levels.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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That all sounds great. I welcome the fact the Minister recognised the need for interaction between Departments and the various bodies responsible for tourism because it is a very fragmented industry in every sense, in terms of the industry itself and the bodies which look after it. I could stay here all day and discuss the various areas in which other bodies are impinging on our efforts to attract tourists. Today I received an e-mail from somebody who said he or she met an Indian tour operator who reported the difficulties it was having in getting visas for tourists coming to this country from India and that it had almost given up trying to send visitors to Ireland because it was so difficult. It is costly and complex; there is no doubt about it. I said the other day that by the time one has answered all the questions to which answers are required by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, one has lost the will to live, much less to travel.

Those are the kinds of things about which any Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism must be very concerned, even if it is not under his or her direct remit. I hope the Minister will play a role in interacting with the other bodies. One issue is visas, another is airport handling charges. There is a real need for the Dublin Airport Authority to realise it must attract airlines and customers, something which one does not do by putting up prices. If our airports are not efficient there will be no tourists coming into the country. The DAA revised its charges recently as part of its preparations for T2. A chauffeur company contacted me to say it is being charged €1,000 per year to park one car when it comes to collect tourists. It should be the other way around. It is providing a service to the airport. There has to be recognition across all bodies that they have to keep prices down.

I would like to think I had something to do with encouraging the Minister to ensure prices did not go up this year. The OPW was the only provider to increase prices last year.

The agency does a great job and I do not wish to be critical of its main function, which is conservation and preservation. It is not a commercial entity and its officials do not see it as their function to be part of the national recovery drive, to attract visitors and provide a service to the public. It is a sterile undertaking to refurbish buildings and not use them or make them accessible. The fact that the OPW is not allowed to keep the income it generates from tourism means it has no incentive to encourage visitors. Will the Minister consider - perhaps the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, has a view on this - tendering for the operation of OPW sites and historic buildings in order that the upkeep remains a matter for the OPW and the operation of the sites and the provision of services, guides and so on becomes a commercial undertaking to encourage tour operators? That would result in a different attitude and greater usage. An ongoing complaint from tour operators is that the historic sites make life more difficult for them. Will the Minister consider that?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy raised three important issues. With regard to visas, people can travel from a vast number of countries without needing a visa but countries such as India and China have the potential to send many visitors to Ireland. When people travel from those countries, they tend to spend a great deal of time in the country and a great deal of money, particularly in the regions, because if they travel this far, they want to see the country. I have written to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform about the visa issue because it must be examined from the point of view of visitors who may have no connection to the country entering the State and, in particular, from the point of view of issuing North-South joint visas, which was raised in the House this week. I have addressed this because it is important. The Taoiseach when addressing the Irish Hotels Federation conference recently highlighted this issue and he said he would take an interest in it. The former Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, visited China and India to promote the idea of students travelling to Ireland to be educated. This could result in their families and so on coming to Ireland to visit them. I am following up on this issue.

The second issue raised by the Deputy related to the Dublin Airport Authority. Airlines are critical to the success of the tourism industry. Aer Lingus has requested a meeting and I look forward to meeting its representatives shortly. I am happy to discuss all aspects of their business that impact on tourism. There are still 100 flights a week between Ireland the US but capacity fell last summer and again during the winter. However, the US economy has experienced a slight upturn, as has the Canadian economy. There is great potential for additional flights and I look forward to marketing this further.

On the OPW issue, I concur with the Deputy that its officials do great work. However, as Deputy Mansergh just said to me, it is difficult to be free and commercial. Free access is provided to these wonderful facilities. I have always found the guides to be tremendous and the flexibility in opening times serves the tourism industry well. Wearing my previous hat, I had hoped the public service generally and the OPW sites would be used for the graduate placement scheme. There would be great scope for young graduates to work on OPW sites this summer. They could bring great added value as they are well educated and trained. Hopefully, following the agreement at the public service pay talks, this might be addressed and this could give an added boost to the good work done by the OPW.

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I did not suggest access to the sites should be free. They should be commercial and those running them should not behave like hospital administrators when they run out of money by putting up prices and closing wards. That is what the OPW did when its budgets were cut. If the operation of the sites was tendered, the OPW could keep the money and it would have a genuine incentive to encourage visitors.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Could the over 66 free travel scheme be extended to include all CIE services, for example, because reports have highlighted that visitors in this age cohort stay longer and spend more money? They could be encouraged to travel free, perhaps initially at off peak times, when it would not cost anything.

The lack of integrated ticketing is annoying for many visitors, apart from the cost of tickets. I appreciate this is not the responsibility of the Minister's Department but it is an important factor in encouraging tourists to spend time, for example, in Dublin.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Free train services for tourists aged over 66 have been made available by CIE just for this year but hopefully, that will continue next year. It was introduced on the basis that trains with significant capacity are running anyway but that might not necessarily always be true, for example, of bus services.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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I referred to off peak times.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Social and Family Affairs pays CIE and, therefore, somebody must pay for the scheme somewhere along the way. I suspect the train scheme will be hugely successful. Let us see how it goes and reflect on its potential.

With regard to integrated ticketing - again I am wearing my previous hat - the new PPS card, which will be introduced later this year, will have a photograph, signature, etc. on it and it will be possible to use it for integrated ticketing. That is the step which will enable such ticketing to take place. That is a good example of interaction between various Departments. Once it is in place, we will expand the scheme.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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I am tempted to say, "At long last", but it will be welcome.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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The Minister stated airlines contribute to the success in attracting tourists. Today is a black day for Ryanair services at Shannon Airport because this is the final day of the five-year contract Ryanair had with the airport authority. The company brought in more than 2 million passengers a year during the initial years of the contract, although that number had reduced to 1 million a year. As a result, only a fraction of the numbers who used to travel to the west will pass through the airport. Does the Minister realise that five years ago 30 destinations were served by Shannon Airport whereas today only ten destinations are served? Will she bring together the main tourism interests in the region, in particular, the Shannon Airport Authority and Shannon Development, to redouble their efforts to fill the void left by Ryanair? From tomorrow onwards, the departure halls in the airport will be empty unless the Government does something.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Shannon Airport catchment area economic and tourism development plan is designed to support the region. A preclearance facility has been approved at the airport and it can be extended to cater for other airlines. British Airways and United Airlines flights out of London stop at the airport to avail of the facility.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I refer to short haul services.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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This new initiative might facilitate private jet users and so on to travel to Ireland and stay. It has great potential. I have received a request for a meeting from Shannon Development and I am happy to meet its representatives to discuss the various issues.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Will the Minister consider bringing together the various tourism interests in the region? This is serious issue and I do not raise it for the sake of it. The airport is almost empty every day after 11 a.m. It is facing a bleak future and I ask the Minister to seriously examine tourism in the west, particularly in the context of short haul routes. Only one short haul route with a limited service will be operated by Ryanair from tomorrow out of the airport and that will have a devastating effect on tourism operators in the region.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am sure the implementation of the plan will help in some regards but I am happy to sit down with the representatives of Shannon Development to discuss the potential for the area.