Dáil debates

Wednesday, 5 November 2014

Topical Issue Debate

Tourism Project Funding

2:45 pm

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter at an important time for development at Malin Head. I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, will be up to speed on proposals to develop Malin Head as a tourist destination. Significant investment has been made recently to develop pathways and improve access to the area. The potential of Malin Head as one of the key tourism destinations in Ireland remains very much untapped. The 100,000 visitors to the area each year are drawn by Malin Head's natural beauty and intrinsic and undeniable advantages. Despite this, the area has been left behind in terms of securing the investment required to allow it to develop further and offer the types of facilities that tourists expect.

I commend Bord Fáilte on its Wild Atlantic Way initiative, which offers immense potential for County Donegal and the entire west coast. I also commend the Minister of State and the Government on backing the initiative. Of the 15 key signature discovery points along the Wild Atlantic Way, which stretches from Kinsale Head to Malin Head, three are located in County Donegal. These are Fanad Head and its lighthouse, the Slieve League cliffs and Malin Head. Given that the first two are in receipt of investment funding, I am sure the Minister of State will agree that the key priority now is to ensure investment is also made in Malin Head. Investment proposals have been made by Donegal County Council, working locally with Bord Fáilte. My purpose in raising this issue is to emphasise the importance of allocating funds to the phase two proposal. If such funding is provided, I expect that considerable progress will be made in attracting visitors to County Donegal and delivering economic benefits to local people.

I commend the work of many other organisations which have contributed towards the investment project. Malin Head Community Association has done significant work in trying to bring forward the project, as has the Malin Head working group under the Inishowen Development Partnership. I am working with Councillor Martin McDermott from Malin Head to advance the project. I hope the Minister of State will provide a timeline for the second phase of investment in the area and give a commitment that the Government will work with Bord Fáilte on a third phase that will deliver an iconic project in Malin Head, which will become one of the leading attractions nationwide for tourists.

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and for his comments. He is correct that the Wild Atlantic Way is one of the greatest developments that has ever taken place in this country. Its benefits have been visible this year in the thousands of visitors to every corner of the Wild Atlantic Way.

As the Deputy is aware, the Wild Atlantic Way is Ireland's first long-distance touring route. It stretches along the Atlantic coast from County Donegal to west Cork. Budget 2014 provided €8 million in capital investment for the development of the route. This funding was directed towards route signage and developing discovery points and other infrastructure on the route.

While the route is still being fully developed, the Wild Atlantic Way is already a central part of our overseas promotion. Having visited the World Travel Market in London earlier this week, I assure the Deputy that it was the talk of the overseas tourism trade. That said, given how long it takes to get on the international travel map, I expect it will be next year before the route starts receiving recognition among potential tourists.

Following my visit to London, I am satisfied that the Wild Atlantic Way project will bring more overseas visitors to County Donegal, specifically Inishowen. To help make this happen, Fáilte Ireland is working with tourism operators and local communities to help them get the most out of the Wild Atlantic Way. Earlier this year, it held a series of community briefings along the route which outlined the benefits of the project and Fáilte Ireland's long-term development plans. The briefings were very well attended by local tourism operators, stakeholders and community representatives.

This year, Fáilte Ireland and Donegal County Council have completed the Wild Atlantic Way signage programme in the Inishowen area. Fáilte Ireland is also working with the council on a programme of remedial works for Wild Atlantic Way discovery points, of which there are 36 in County Donegal, including ten in Inishowen. This work will involve placing markers and information panels and upgrading the appearance of each point. I am also aware that a number of overseas tourism journalists have been brought to Inishowen in recent months, most notably the astronaut Chris Hadfield, whose visit created worldwide coverage for Inishowen.

Malin Head is a designated signature point on the Wild Atlantic Way and a key stop on the route. As the Deputy is aware, it is renowned for its rugged coast and attractive beaches and is steeped in history and folklore. The area has something for all tastes, including walking, fishing, swimming and photography. It is also close to Inishowen's splendid golf courses.

In regard to capital funding, my Department provides funding to Fáilte Ireland for investment in tourism projects such as the Wild Atlantic Way. However, it is not involved in developing or managing these projects. As the allocation of grant funding is a matter for the board of Fáilte Ireland, I have no role in deciding funding allocations for projects such as Malin Head. I am aware, however, that Fáilte Ireland is working closely with Donegal County Council on the development of Malin Head as part of the Wild Atlantic Way. The council applied to Fáilte Ireland this year for funding for a public service centre and development of the car park area at Malin. The Fáilte Ireland authority is expected to make a decision on this application shortly.

2:55 pm

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. While I know he does not make the decision directly, the funding comes from his Department and I am sure he will emphasise, following this debate, the importance of Malin Head which Bord Fáilte recognises. It is crucial because Malin Head does not have the basic facilities which tourists expect. I have no doubt that when they are put in place we will see a continuation of the increase in tourist numbers we have experienced to date.

Timing is important because in order to have in place for next year's tourist season the phase 2 proposals which will see public service areas and new toilet facilities delivered to Malin Head the decision on funding needs to be made in the next number of weeks. I have commended Donegal County Council and Bord Fáilte for the work they have done until now. I emphasise the importance of following that through and seeing the funding delivered in order that the developments are ready for the coming year.

The Minister of State outlined the benefits of the Wild Atlantic Way nationally. It is even more important for Donegal because it has not traditionally been able to draw the number of tourists the west or south coasts would see. Many tourists visiting Donegal come from the Giant's Causeway coast and the North. Malin Head, the Slieve League Cliffs and Fanad Head form one fifth of the signature points on the Wild Atlantic Way. The Minister of State said 38 of the 150 key dedicated points on the Wild Atlantic Way are in Donegal. That shows the significant slice the county has of the Wild Atlantic Way.

With investment it has the potential to be the single biggest initiative in terms of attracting tourists to the county from the North and the Republic. I ask the Minister of State to ensure he continues in his engagement with Bord Fáilte to emphasise the importance of continued investment. I hope we will soon see investment to develop the facilities in Malin Head.

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I delighted the Deputy is positive today because this is a positive initiative. He is quite correct. Malin and Inishowen connect to the Giant's Causeway route in Northern Ireland which is an all-Ireland tourism project. It means people visiting Ireland can travel North or South, which is very important. I want to see all the signature points on the Wild Atlantic Way developed. Erris in my county of Mayo never saw as many tourists as it did this year, and Achill and Westport were the same. That was because of the Wild Atlantic Way. I know when something is working.

Every corner of the country which has a well wants to be part of the Wild Atlantic Way because they know it works. We have to do something for the east and south coasts, but they will not have what is in the Wild Atlantic Way, namely natural beauty, rugged land-----

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Do not forget Tipperary.

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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When it gets a bit of sea we will see what we can do for it.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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There will be plenty of water from the Minister.

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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When this man is finished with the development he has for tourism in Tipperary it will be number one on the map. We need to make sure we get funding from Government to ensure we can develop the 2,500 km route. There are some exciting plans for Donegal, Mayo, Kerry, Cork and all other places on the Wild Atlantic Way. The work will take a few years.

Yesterday I attended the World Travel Market in London. A significant number of people wanted to talk about the Wild Atlantic Way. Large numbers of tourists will come from France, Germany and Europe next year. They love it and cannot get enough of it. It is a great development for the country and we need to continue developing it. Every Deputy on the route has a role to play. We must make sure that local communities know what is happening on the wild Atlantic way because cottage industries will build up around it. There are many hidden gems in the country. Even those living on the Wild Atlantic Way did not realise the beauty of certain parts of their county because they had not visited them for years.

It is exciting and good, and something we need to develop to its full potential. It is good for the country and tourism, and will bring the numbers of tourists here that we badly want. There was a 9% increase in tourism numbers in the first nine months of the year. I never thought the day would come, but when I visited London this week people were discussing the fact that there was not enough capacity in Dublin. We did not think three and a half years ago that we would need more hotels in Dublin and the rest of the country.