Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I move: "That the Bill be now read a second time."

The National Tourism Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2022 provides the basis to enable the continued provision of capital funding to the National Tourism Development Authority, Fáilte Ireland, for the purpose of supporting tourism product development and the tourism industry. Section 24(1) of the National Tourism Development Authority Act 2003 gives me, as Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, the power to advance moneys provided by the Oireachtas to Fáilte Ireland. Section 24(2) sets out the amount of money that can be advanced by the Minister to Fáilte Ireland for capital expenditure. Assuming that the allocated funding in 2022 is drawn down by Fáilte Ireland, the current limit of €300 million will be reached close to the end of 2022. No further voted capital funding can then be advanced to Fáilte Ireland. Accordingly, I put the Bill before the Dáil to provide for the new spending limit of €500 million.

Before speaking on the further details of the Bill, I would like to outline the significant contribution and importance of the tourism sector to Ireland's overall economic performance and the progress made in recent times. As the House will be aware, this country has been extremely successful in turning the warmth of the Irish welcome and the beauty of the Irish countryside into a success story that we can all celebrate and be proud of. Tourism is Ireland's most important indigenous labour-intensive sector, generating substantial export earnings and tax revenues. It is woven into the fabric of Irish cultural and social life and is of critical importance to regional economies, in particular.

The contribution of tourism is not confined to directly generated employment, economic activity and exports. The sector has an important multiplier effect on other employment sectors, such as agriculture, transport, retail, food and beverage, which are particularly important to regional economies. Apart from its economic value, tourism also plays an important role in promoting Ireland's image abroad, generating a positive impression of Irish people and our landscape and culture for our visitors.

The Covid-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the tourism industry. As we rebuild this vital sector, we must build it back in a way that ensures the contribution of the tourism sector to our economic recovery and provides sustainable employment across Ireland in a way that protects our unique environment. Internationally, tourism continues to recover steadily, yet several challenges remain, from geopolitical to economic. The combination of increasing interest rates in all major economies, rising energy and food prices and the growing prospects of a global recession are major threats to the recovery of international tourism for the remainder of 2022 and 2023.

Budget 2023 has secured continued additional funding of €15 million for overseas marketing of Ireland as a leading holiday destination and the development of the invitation project. Domestically, continued additional funding of €15 million will deliver a range of measures to support the sector. The Government also announced a temporary business energy support scheme which will support businesses, including those in the tourism sector. In budget 2022, the tourism budget included a large capital allocation of €35 million to Fáilte Ireland for tourism product development. This level of capital investment will continue in 2023 as budget 2023 has also provided for funding of €36.5 billion.

Ireland's commitment to pursue a climate-neutral economy will help us to realise our ambition to be among the world leaders in sustainable tourism. My Department has initiated the development of a new national tourism policy that will seek to mainstream sustainability. The development of this new policy will involve extensive consultation with the tourism industry and our communities to set out a path for the coming years which will support a sustainable recovery in the sector. This new tourism policy will seek to support sustainable development in communities throughout the country, while protecting our environment and natural resources and with a greater spread of demand across the year.

As a significant proportion of tourists are drawn to attractions and participative experiences that bring local culture and heritage to life, Fáilte Ireland offers a range of support to help tourism providers across the country to maximise their individual and collective offering in a way that attracts and engages tourists and enhances their overall experience. Accordingly, Fáilte Ireland's capital investment in tourism product development is further enhanced by complimentary programme supports, including for festivals and events, business supports and training, and marketing and promotions aimed at enhancing, animating and promoting the overall tourism offering. Ultimately, in addition to enhancing the overall visitor experience for the benefit of visitors, the intention is to optimise key assets for the benefit of tourism and sustainable development through increasing the geographic spread of visitors, promoting season extension and supporting sustainable growth management.

With specific regard to tourism capital investment, I look forward to the development and enhancement of tourist attractions and activity-based tourism to provide the type and quality of experience that visitors are seeking. Some examples of these are the Céide Fields, an immersive experience in County Mayo, the National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park, which I recently opened, and the visitor experience at Knowth, part of Brú na Bóinne in County Meath.

A highlight this year has been the redevelopment of Avondale House and Forest Park. This €16 million project, in partnership with Fáilte Ireland, Coillte and EAK, has transformed Avondale into a unique family attraction and a key new destination in Ireland's Ancient East. It opened this summer and will be a vibrant destination for domestic and international tourists. Avondale Forest Park is also open to visitors to explore and enjoy the established walking and cycling trails, orienteering courses and recreation area. Beyond the Trees Avondale won the tourism and hospitality project of the year award at the Irish Building and Design Awards last week.

In addition, part of Fáilte Ireland's capital funding programme comprises a large grants scheme, now under the Platforms for Growth investment programme, which targets project categories that have the greatest potential to enhance tourism across Ireland throughout the year. The first Platform for Growth launched in May 2019 and focused on developing immersive heritage and cultural attractions. These are attractions that appeal to overseas visitors looking for experiences that help them to connect with Ireland and bring the country's culture, heritage and people to life. Through this platform, Fáilte Ireland is investing in heritage and cultural attractions of scale that will motivate visitors to travel, either to and-or within Ireland, but without displacing the existing attractions of a destination or disturbing the competitiveness already in mature destinations. The overall objective is to deliver brilliant experiences that allow visitors to connect with Ireland and bring the national and local culture, heritage and people to life, while also delivering greater regional and seasonal spread of tourism.

In April of last year, €19 million worth of investment was announced for the second platform, Platforms for Growth 2, to be used to develop world-class facility centres at 22 locations across the country where water-based activities are a key visitor attraction. This includes locations such as Tipperary, Sligo and Leitrim, to name but a few. These facilities, designed to serve as a hub in each locality from which multiple watersports operators can base themselves, will provide hot showers, changing and toilet facilities, secure storage, induction spaces, equipment wash-down and orientation points. They will be fully wheelchair accessible and built using sustainability best practice, such as solar heating panels. This investment scheme was developed in partnership between Fáilte Ireland and local authorities and will support the local economy.

In addition to funding provided under the Platforms for Growth approach to large grants schemes, Fáilte Ireland also provides further capital supports to tourism attractions and experiences in Ireland through other channels, including small grants schemes, strategic partnerships with other State bodies and some direct investments. The strategic partnerships include entities such as Waterways Ireland, the Office of Public Works and the Department of Rural and Community Development.

We are all conscious of the importance of tourism across all regions of the country. Fáilte Ireland develops, supports and promotes tourism at regional and county level, in line with the relevant tourism experience brand, which provides the overarching context for related marketing and enterprise supports and tourism product development. At a regional level, to guide medium to longer term development, Fáilte Ireland will deliver four new regional tourism strategies in 2022.

The regional strategies are currently undergoing a public consultation and they will set out a ten-year vision and five-year action plan for each region.

At a more local level, these four regional tourism strategies will be activated through a series of co-ordinated local destination and experience development plans, DEDPs, developed by Fáilte Ireland in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders including local authorities, local development companies, relevant State agencies and local community groups and tourism industry representatives.

Fáilte Ireland plans to have a total of 27 DEDPs live by the end of this year. By 2025, every part of the country will have a destination development plan that is appropriate to its level of tourism maturity. There are four regional tourism experience brands in total covering the entire country and these are as follows: the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland's Ancient East, Dublin and Ireland's Hidden Heartlands.

One of the guiding principles of my Department is to deliver high-quality tourism experiences that exceed our visitors' expectations but in a manner that minimises any negative environmental or community impacts. As custodians of our natural landscape, waterways and oceans and of our historic and cultural assets, we will protect them for the next generation. I look forward to these future generations enjoying all that Ireland has to offer. The Government is committed to continuing to support and strengthen the tourism sector which plays such a vital role in our locality and wider society.

I will now deal with the purpose of the Bill in detail. The National Tourism Development Authority Act was passed in 2003 to dissolve Bord Fáilte Éireann and the Council for Education, Recruitment and Training, CERT, and establish the national tourism development authority, Fáilte Ireland. Section 24(1) of that Act gives the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, the power to advance, out of money provided by the Oireachtas, such sums as the Minister may determine. Section 24(2) limits the total amount of money that can be advanced by the Minister to Fáilte Ireland as capital expenditure on projects or enterprises.

However, annual funding allocations are made in the normal way through the Estimates and budgetary process. This limit on total capital funding was originally set at €65 million but was later increased to €150 million and then €300 million under the National Tourism Development Authority (Amendment) Acts 2011 and 2016.

Taking into account the 2022 capital allocation to Fáilte Ireland, investment in tourism capital projects is now approaching that limit. Once the spending limit has been reached, no further voted capital moneys may be advanced to Fáilte Ireland for tourism capital investment projects. Accordingly, it is now prudent to legislate for an increase in the limit. I am introducing this Bill to make the necessary legislative change. I commend the Bill to the House.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the chance to speak to this Bill. It is a short technical Bill that will provide the statutory basis to allow the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to increase the aggregate level of funding that will be made to Fáilte Ireland. The ceiling currently is €300 million and the Bill will see it increase to €500 million. Sinn Féin will support the Bill.

Fáilte Ireland is, of course, a very important organisation and is integral to our tourism industry. Tourism is Ireland's biggest indigenous industry. Hundreds of thousands of people are employed in tourism and it is especially important in parts of the country that have long been disadvantaged, such as along the west coast. Fáilte Ireland has played a central role in the development of tourism in Ireland and its work is to be commended.

It would not be possible, however, to speak about tourism without referencing the pandemic and the resultant restrictions. The years 2020, 2021 and early 2022 were among the most difficult years for the industry. As we know, the industry was the first to close and the last to open and despite Government funding for wages and overheads, it was a very difficult time for the industry. We emerged from that crisis and straight into the cost-of-living and energy crises.

Some parts of the sector, especially restaurants, are facing into a very difficult winter indeed. Some will have warehouse debt to deal with, difficulties with recruitment, as many workers left the sector during Covid, and sky-high energy bills. It is important to recognise that this is a very wide-ranging industry and different sections will have different experiences.

We all know that hotels, especially those in our cities, engaged in significant price gouging during the summer months of this year. This has tarnished the entire industry, unfortunately, and it should be said that despite what various Ministers have said in the past about the VAT rate for the industry, it is possible under European law to apply different rates of tax on different sections of the tourism and hospitality sector. We could have a situation where hotels have one rate of tax and other tourist attractions or restaurants have another. We need to consider this seriously and I ask the Minister to look into it, given the ongoing price gouging and the damage that it has done not just to domestic tourism but to international tourism. The reputation is out there now that if you come to Ireland and book a hotel you will come across rip-off rates and unexplainable and inexcusable costs.

Another issue that needs to be addressed is pay and conditions for workers in the industry. I sit on the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media and we have written a report on this matter which is due to be published soon. We held hearings which exposed some absolutely outrageous behaviour by certain parts of the sector; hospitality workers being treated terribly, abused, overworked and poorly paid. It is appalling and needs to be addressed. There was lots of talk last year about the staffing crisis in the sector. It should come as no mystery or surprise that retention is such a struggle in the industry when one sees how poor conditions are in some places.

The Minister needs to get involved. Any time I have tried to raise this with her, my questions are sent to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. I understand that he has a role in workers rights but it is not fair that the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media can wash her hands of this issue in its entirety. It is simply not fair that she will represent big industry lobby groups but not workers. She needs to go out to bat for them too and I hope that she will consider taking responsibility for this in her own Department and will consider the report that the Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media has compiled. Some very serious issues were raised in that report and unless action is taken, the situation will remain the same and the industry will suffer from constant staff recruitment and retention problems. From a workers' rights perspective, I do not think I have come across an industry quite as bad, in places, as that reported by people before the committee.

I will also raise some tourism issues that are important in my own constituency of Louth and east Meath. From the latest figures I could find, Louth is one of the least-visited counties by domestic tourists in the State, ranking 22nd of 26 counties. It was also ranked 16th of 26 counties for overseas visitors. With the Gaelic, Norman and Viking history of the county, Louth should be ranked much higher and would be if it were properly promoted. Drogheda is currently designated a Fáilte Ireland destination town. However, there is no tourism officer or even a heritage officer for the Drogheda and south Louth area. Putting this measure in place would put additional focus on Drogheda and would be very beneficial to the town.

We have many day trippers visiting Drogheda. I wish to see Fáilte Ireland putting together a package for Drogheda and its environs such as Monasterboice and Newgrange. This would make it easier for tourists to come to visit Louth and stay in the area. We need more than day trips to sustain tourism in the area. The proposed Boyne-side trail has not started on the Mornington-Drogheda side while the excellent Carlingford greenway has received significant funding and is one of the premier greenways in the State. The 17 km cycle way from the Maiden Tower at Mornington to Brú na Bóinne would be the only trail with a UNESCO site at the end of it - if and when it is completed. The negative perception of Drogheda caused by the feud has not been addressed yet and an increased focus by Fáilte Ireland to highlight the positive elements, history and heritage of the town would go a long way to addressing this.

With this Bill and the additional funding to be able to stretch to €500 million, it is time for Fáilte Ireland, as I have raised with it, to focus on areas throughout the country that are less established or less well known to tourists.

Let us consider the Wild Atlantic Way and the fantastic success that has been. However, there are other regions that have not been established as tourism destinations. This is primarily because there has not been proper focus or promotion of them. These areas should be the ones to have the focus of Fáilte Ireland. There should be time invested and they should be promoted. The focus should be on them because they have just as much to offer to tourists both international and domestic.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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I support this legislation and the increase in the total capital investment. I would say that because if I did not, my former colleagues in Fáilte Ireland who are looking at me would probably be on the phone in a few minutes.

I had the pleasure of being part of the union team that negotiated the creation of Fáilte Ireland. I ended up as a manager in the organisation, having previously been with Bord Fáilte. I always joked when the negotiations to create Tourism Ireland were under way that we were the only country in the world that brought together two tourist boards, namely Bord Fáilte and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, and came out with three. C'est la vie. It was all for the best in the end. I acknowledge the great work these public servants do across Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland, especially the latter as it an organisation I have a great affection for. When I was there we created the national tourism database and I registered and helped create discoverireland.com and discoverireland.ie with fantastic people. There are too many of them to name and some are still there. As the Minister will appreciate, I come to this with a bit of knowledge and background. I support the Bill and the comments I will make will be based on my broad experience in tourism in general. Then I will raise some specific items I would like her to look into.

Product development used to be under the direction of Paul Keeley. It is an incredibly important area within the organisation. It is the future of our tourism development. There must be a plan for the products and services we are looking at developing. I am delighted the Minister said that she is going to have four regional plans, that there is going to be a ten-year vision and that there are going to be five years of actions. However, there is a bit of a joke between the people who have worked in tourism down through the years that when it comes to product development, the spine of Ireland is often forgotten about. I will give the Minister a phrase she can steal: "hole in the doughnut syndrome". It is a good analogy if you think about it. As a country we have developed our tourism product such that someone arrives in Dublin Airport, goes over to the west coast, comes all the way down, does the Wild Atlantic Way, comes across counties Cork and Kerry and then comes up the east coast again. The spine of Ireland does not get its fair shake. It is incredible that to this day we as a country still push almost everything through Dublin Airport. That is going to continue. I look forward to seeing the Minister's plans. There is public consultation and I have told lots of people about that and promoted it because I take such a keen interest in this area. I hope the plans will help address this situation.

There is great value, products and services in tourism in the spine of Ireland, which is the hole in that doughnut. I always classify three "A"s and an "E", namely, accommodation, attractions, activities and events. The Minister can have that one too. Add in travel and you have the whole lot. If we look at some of the golf course offerings down the spine of Ireland compared with the perimeter, they are incredible value. It is the same with accommodation, food, drink, heritage offerings and everything else. There are some fantastic towns and attractions and an awful lot of ancient history. It needs more promotion. It needs targeted promotion from somebody who has a vision and I hope that someone is the Minister. Many of the products in those areas are underdeveloped and are not linked in the way they are promoted because, in fairness to those who do the promotion overseas, if there is not enough scale, they are not going to do it. We need to offer product ranges and service ranges in the spine of Ireland or the hole in that doughnut, that are of such a scale that Tourism Ireland will promote them overseas. It amazes me, by the way, how many people do not know the difference between the organisations. Tourism Ireland can only market what is put in front of it as the product development comes from Fáilte Ireland. It will take a number of years. We must put together the ranges to do with food, heritage, built heritage and sport. There is a fantastic offering from Fáilte Ireland to promote horse racing and horse breeding in counties Tipperary and Kildare. It is very specific and it is excellent. A considerable number of people come to my county, and indeed to Kildare because I have talked to Senator Wall about this, because of that product. It is very niche but that is what we are strong at, so let us promote it.

The success of the Wild Atlantic Way, which again Paul Keeley was involved with, as well as Ireland's Hidden Heartlands, which was the brainchild of Paddy Matthews, are examples of what can be done. The Wild Atlantic Way is incredibly successful as a marketing tool. It should be something we try to replicate as it is fantastic. Of course, the issue for us politicians from other parts of the country, was it was so good we felt it was almost discriminatory against everywhere else. Then we had Ireland's Hidden Heartlands, which is an excellent programme as well.

The Minister's opening remarks referenced the DEDPs that are going to be launched as a subsection of the regional plans. They must be targeted and specific in how they are done because they will apply to local areas. I will come back to that in a few minutes.

On capital spending, there must be cross-pollination with other Departments. When I was at the Departments of Transport, and Environment, Community and Local Government I put huge effort into the promotion of greenways. There is now such much activity going on with the greenways and cycling that it is a product in itself that can be marketed in a different way. This will be especially so following the commencement of what will be the best greenway in western Europe in south Kerry, which can be built now the go-ahead has finally been given. However, all of these products need to be pulled together and promoted in a different way. This is particularly so in areas where tourism is not the main driver, unlike Kerry and similar parts of the country.

There also needs to be collaborative work with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Minister should look specifically at accommodation provision because we are going have difficulties in the coming years with it, given what is happening in the world. It is going to have an impact on the domestic market in the next tourism season, which is incredible. There is not going to be enough accommodation and people are not going to be able to afford what is there because so much accommodation is going to be taken up for such a long period. We all know that. We need to look from a planning perspective at how we can accommodate, in cases, temporary accommodation. I am thinking of pods, modular buildings and all of this sort of stuff across the country. There is a product range out there that can be put in place quite quickly but the time it will take from a planning perspective means it is not practical.

There are many places around the country where multiple small buildings would probably be more conducive having accommodation fit into the landscape and countryside than large buildings. I know a number of people who have tried this but have not been able to due to planning issues. I think, and would say that the Acting Chair, Deputy Carey, is in agreement with me, that if we could make a small amendment to the planning legislation to provide for this, it would be welcome, particularly in areas where tourism is not as strong or has not received the full necessary development.

I raise with the Minister the strategy which I launched in 2014. I know she is working through the four regions and the co-ordinated local destination and experience development plans, DEDPs - I will get that into my head eventually. I am holding a copy of the strategy, which is about Ireland's hidden secret, Lough Derg. It is one of the best places to visit. It spans three counties and almost the city of Limerick. It is in east Galway, east Clare and north Tipperary. The biggest issue with access to the area was that it was virtually impossible to get through Ballina and Killaloe because of the traffic situation. Thankfully, work has started on the bridge there, which means that will be dealt with in three years. The issue for me is that this is a hidden secret. When I talked about a hole in the doughnut, that was what I was trying to address. This is the hole in the doughnut.

People come to where I live in Garrykennedy, to Portroe, Dromineer and to Ballina. They say that they never knew these places existed. They had no idea. How many people associate Lough Derg with Tipperary? There are places such as Coolbaun, Puckane and Terryglass, which has been tidy town of the year on a number of occasions. Many people never think of these places because Tipperary has not been promoted. Garrykennedy is probably one of the greatest places on Earth. It is my little hideaway. Much excellent work was put into this. Some €2 million was spent. In her speech, the Minister acknowledged the work on changing facilities, toilets, upgrades to marinas and on walkways. It has been fantastic. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, was there last year to open a walkway which was built. She could not get over the place. It is so central. This is as much for places such as Portumna, east Clare and Killaloe.

That area is not promoted to the required level. There was a budget of €10 million and €2 million was spent. Joe McGrath is the chief executive officer of Tipperary County Council and was the chair of the working group. He made the money go far on signage and everything else along the way go far. Speaking as somebody who knows many people who work in this industry, including in Fáilte Ireland, they welcome the structures that have been put in place with regard to regionality and substructures, because it gives them a structure to work with. Previously, it was a case of trying to ensure that everything was stretched out and things were not joined up because there were other considerations about how funding could be spent. There are now four regional structures and the substructures.

I would appreciate if the Minister would look at this as an example. There is a comprehensive report on Lough Derg entitled Life at the Lake – A Roadmap for Experience Development and Destination Marketing 2014-2017. I would appreciate if the Minister would look at that as a subset of Ireland's Hidden Heartlands, because there is a crossover between Ireland's Hidden Heartlands and the Wild Atlantic Way, which Clare is part of, though in reality, it is more a part of Ireland's Hidden Heartlands. Much can be gained from this, including various activities and food and drink. I ask the Minister to come to Ballina, Killaloe, Portumna, Garrykennedy or Terryglass to experience it. I am sure the Minister knows many of those parts. She can see the value that can be had there. It is so central. It is just off the motorway in the middle of Ireland, but it does not get the promotion that it deserves.

There are many activities in the region. There is a canoe trail, which is the first blueway based on canoes. There is an ecopark based in Portumna. There are multiple walking routes. One passes by my home. There is a trailhead and discovery point based at one of the best known scenes in Ireland, which is the lookout in my own village, Portroe. It has a view of all the islands across the lake. I put all this on the record because I believe, given the structures that the Minister has put in place, that now is an ideal opportunity for her to help it along. I am not expecting miracles but there is a ten-year vision and a five-year plan of action, so I would appreciate if the Minister and her officials would consider that document again over the coming weeks while plans are being put in place. As they are watching, I publicly ask my former colleagues in Fáilte Ireland to do the same, to look at it and to help it along the road, because I am sure they know its value.

I wish the Minister well with this. This is important legislation. It is technical, but the more funding we can put into product development post-Covid to plan for the development of tourism in this country, the better. I ask the Minister to discriminate positively on those areas that are the hole in the doughnut.

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I welcome this Bill, which is about increasing capital investment in our tourism sector from €300 million to €500 million. This is on top of the investment this Government has made over the last three years to support the tourism sector to survive during the pandemic. The last three years have not been good for the industry, even if we have achieved a significant recovery in recent months. Maybe we can learn a few things from these difficult times. The collapse of air travel in this period should allow us to drive growth in our regional airports, particularly Shannon Airport, and to drive growth in the regions. We should never again allow one airport to dominate all of our airline traffic. There is a clear need to amend national aviation policy to provide for growth in airports outside Dublin. I am pleased that Shannon Airport has developed new routes to Europe, mainly operated by Ryanair. It now has greater connectivity to the USA, including a new United Airlines route to Chicago, which was announced last week.

We also saw the growth of domestic tourism in this period. Irish people discovered beautiful places in Ireland that they never knew existed. We should make strategic investments in growing this market. Tourism is a vital industry for all of Ireland. It benefits every part of the island and supports the employment of 10% of our working population. Fine Gael has supported this industry over the last ten years in government. This has been reflected in the increasing numbers employed in the sector and the visitors coming to our shores. There is no doubt that the tourism market is changing. We must adapt our strategy to reflect this. I am proud that we are investing another €200 million in the opening of new markets and creating new opportunities in this sector. This is a result of good planning and research to secure further growth in our tourism sector.

Investments into the Wild Atlantic Way and, as Deputy Kelly mentioned, Ireland's Hidden Heartlands, in areas like the Shannon Estuary Way and events like the Gathering, have caused a huge increase in the number of visitors coming to stay in Ireland. I strongly support Deputy Kelly in asking for recognition of that Hidden Heartlands brand for Lough Derg and the implementation of the Lough Derg strategy. It is vital for that region. I strongly support Clare County Council's application to the rural regeneration and development fund regarding Holy Island.

I look forward to that receiving funding in the coming weeks.

We also need to examine further schemes such as the Wild Atlantic Way to attract even more visitors to Ireland. There are obvious areas such as outdoor pursuits and travelling along our greenways in which this Government is investing. We should also invest in sports tourism to host international golf events, for example. I met the Minister at Dromoland Castle at a wonderful golf event. I am delighted to have worked closely with the director of golf at Dromoland Castle, Eamonn O’Donnell in the early stages of this project. I was approached by the then captain of the golf club in Dromoland, John Casey. I worked with Mark Nolan, the then CEO of Sport Ireland, John Treacy and Mark Kennelly of Golf Ireland. It was a fantastic event. It shows what can be done. I look forward to the event taking place there again next year. We had a good, international winner, the Czech Republic star, Klara Spilkova. Unfortunately, Leona Maguire came up short but, please God, she will make amends next year.

Another scheme that might bring rich rewards would be to encourage all those from other countries working in numerous multinational companies based in Ireland to reach out to their fellow employees, friends and relatives visit Ireland. Something like that was done for The Gathering and the Minister might keep it in mind. Along with these events the Government is also encouraging growth in the night-time economy. I welcome the launch of the pilot basic income scheme for artists in this regard. Many people have contacted me who were not included in the scheme. Some 8,206 people applied and only 2,000 were accepted on the scheme. I appeal to the Government to consider expanding that scheme.

Along with major attractions in County Clare such as the Cliffs of Moher, I wish to refer to the Shannon Heritage sites of Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Craggaunowen Castle and Knappogue Castle. The Minister will be aware that these sites are currently being transferred to Clare County Council. An interdepartmental working group has been set up that includes officials from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. The ask of the council is that €15 million will be made available to the group over the coming three years at €5 million a year for operational and capital investment. I ask the Minister to become involved in that to ensure that happens. There is unwelcome uncertainty around this because Bunratty, Craggaunowen and Knappogue castles are iconic tourist attractions. They act as magnets to bring tourists into the county. We need to nail down where they are going to sit. Clare County Council put up its hand. It will do a good job but it needs assistance. It made a great job of the Cliffs of Moher. I encourage the Minister to make sure that transfer happens at the earliest opportunity.

Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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This is a short and technical Bill to provide a statutory basis for allowing the Minister and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to increase the funding that can be made to Fáilte Ireland. A previous amendment, the National Tourism Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2016, increased this amount to €300 million. This legislation will increase it further to €500 million. We in Sinn Féin will support this increased investment in tourism and its promotion. Fáilte Ireland’s role is to support enterprises and projects relating to tourism development in the Twenty-Six Counties. I commend the work of Into Kildare, Visit Offaly and Laois Tourism on the work they do in promoting the respective counties. The midlands have so much to offer, from a barge trip on the canal in Monasterevin to a visit to Derryounce Lakes or a walk along Offaly Way. Many small businesses, however, are struggling to recover from the havoc wrought on them by Covid-19 over the past two years. We need to ensure these businesses get the help they need and deserve, particularly in the difficult winter season ahead. Many of them are currently suffering because of the cost-of-living crisis and the energy crisis.

There is also an ongoing issue of a lack of development in certain areas, in particular the midlands and Border regions. This disparity needs to be addressed. We expect great things when the Barrow Blueway is finished next year for towns such as Rathangan, Monasterevin and Athy. That cannot come quickly enough because these towns are dying on their feet. The dereliction that has been tolerated for the past 20 or 30 years needs to be addressed. Croí Cónaithe is not good enough. We must have a carrot-and-stick approach. Levies on vacant and derelict sites must be followed up and collected. The owners of buildings that have been left to rot need to be helped, encouraged and, if necessary, forced to bring these buildings back into use or they must sell them to somebody else who will. Gone are the days of tolerating dereliction, which is a blight on our towns and increasingly so in rural areas. We are currently crying out for homes in counties Kildare, Laois and Offaly and for local jobs and premises to accommodate these workplaces. Sinn Féin in government will address this with a fair approach, more carrot than stick. It is unconscionable in this day and age that we have 160,000 homes vacant in the State during a housing crisis.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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This is a short but technical Bill but it is also important, and we intend to support it. It gives us an opportunity to talk about all the aspects of tourism. Fáilte Ireland recently launched a €600,000 campaign stating, "Winter in Dublin, it's magic". I do not disagree with that in the slightest. I am an extraordinarily proud Dub but we have issues that may impact on the people who come here to visit. I want to touch on them.

The magic that Fáilte Ireland refers to will take the form of live music, events, family and festive occasions and it will focus on cultural traditions. This is some of what is promised in a bid to encourage visitors to the city throughout the upcoming winter and holiday seasons. Footfall in Dublin has always been important to the tourism industry but after two years of a global pandemic the need for this is more important than ever. I am conscious that when I was on Dublin City Council footfall in the city was in decline because of some of the M50 shopping centres that were taking it from the city. The global pandemic has meant that our other institutions around the city have felt a fall in numbers because people were taking themselves away from the city centre.

A study by the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation in 2021 stated the cost of Covid-19 to the tourism industry was estimated at a staggering €13.4 billion with more than 100,000 jobs lost. It is crucial in this bid to revitalise the tourism industry that we should simultaneously seek to expand and develop efforts across Dublin, lest we run the risk of turning the city into some sort of Disneyland -ype of spectacle where we only portray what Irishness is rather than capturing and digging into that culture, and being our best at it.

We eagerly welcome tourists yet struggle to call Dublin a functional city. What I mean is we have increased hotel prices, and I will talk about that shortly. The average daily rate for a hotel bedroom in Dublin for April 2022 was €154, which was up 16% on the same month in 2019. Car rental prices in the city are extortionate. There are delays, baggage issues and winding queues in Dublin Airport, all due to a lack of staff and resources and all presenting an image to tourists that is perhaps not a fair reflection of the city once they get here. There are indicators that the most basic necessities when considering successive trips taken by incoming tourists are not functioning as they should. Headway needs to be made to ensure this funding for the industry is allocated correctly. Businesses need the support to provide the type of services and standards that tourists expect when they get here.

Four concerns for businesses relate to rising energy costs, other operating costs, the cost of car hire and people lacking disposable income. Ireland’s artists who provide so much to the industry and are vital for the live events and music that Fáilte Ireland promises in its Winter in Dublin campaign need support. The minimum basic income scheme will go a long way to do that but we must also remember that for many years how we project ourselves onto the world stage is always through our artists and culture. Those are the same artists who have been screaming for many years to be respected. The most basic form of that respect relates to the money they are paid.

5 o’clock

Some 2,000 artists will receive the basic minimum income for artists. We can go a little further than that once the pilot ends.

How can a city plagued with issues such as a housing crisis and increased levels of crime claim to provide 100,000 welcomes to those who visit? I am conscious the image of O’Connell Street, Dublin's main thoroughfare, portrayed on the “RTÉ Investigates” programme tonight will be one of antisocial behaviour in the absence of gardaí. These are issues that need a multidepartmental approach and we need to get in touch with them. If we are to invest €500 million, as we should, in the next couple of years and €600,000 for a winter campaign for Dublin, we need to take a multilateral approach. These enhancements to our city cannot rely on magic to progress. Funding and effort need to be directed to pushing Dublin forward in its development because in order to provide a welcoming and successful experience for holiday-goers, the experience of Dublin as a city needs to be strengthened.

One aspect of Dublin, on which the Minister established a task force, and one that has been talked about by young people in the city for the past decade is the night-time economy, as it is called. However, it is not only an economy; it is a sense of place and how welcoming a city is both for tourists and residents alike. A night-time economy and city is at its best when tourists and people who come into the city - either those who live there or those who visit - can feel intertwined. We only need look at other European holiday destinations for young people to see that Ireland is lagging behind when it comes to its nightlife. Countless students and young professionals are choosing to fly to Berlin, Amsterdam, London and Barcelona for weekends and holidays where they find a wide range of nightclubs, music venues and creative spaces that cater to their interests and needs. It has reached the point where people refer to Dublin as a glorified town, devoid of the vibrancy that makes a city stand out as a cultural capital. The knock-on effects of the limited options facing our young people in the evenings are causing monumental damage. Along with the sky-high cost of living, many cite a lack of nightlife as a reason for emigrating, leaving us with staff shortages across the hospitality sector and less money spent in the venues that remain, leading to many of them closing.

The Covid-19 pandemic caused unimaginable harm to the night-time economy and we have had to say goodbye to countless venues and events that promoted Dublin as a top-class cultural destination. Long before that, however, successive Governments were driving those spaces into the ground and the failure of local government to take a leadership role in them was also a cause of destinations and venues that people used to visit going out of business. Late licensing costs have long crippled ambitions, businesses and projects that would have flourished if given the supports they required to grow.

As nightlife and arts activists, Give Us the Night, pointed out last month, Ireland has gone from having 328 nightclubs nationally to 85 today. It is no wonder that our young people fly to cities that sustain an exciting roster of gigs and events of all genres, where they and their interests feel better represented.

If thousands of young people are leaving the country for a better quality and more varied lifestyle, why do we expect tourists to flock here? It is not as if they come here for the weather. Ireland’s greatest strength has always been our culture and the warmth of our people. However, after 11 p.m. on most weekdays, there is nowhere for tourists to get a taste of the Irish hospitality for which we are so famous. I am sure we all have seen groups walk from venue to venue in Dublin on a Monday or Tuesday evening, unable to find anywhere that will take them in after 11 p.m. That is unheard of in most European capitals.

Tourists and consumers alike are not the only ones who suffer from the Government’s lack of support for the night-time economy. Ireland’s artists are leaving the country in droves due to a lack of spaces where they can perform their craft, whether they be musicians, comedians, actors or otherwise.

On Culture Night, I went down to the old fruit market in Dublin to get a sense, and I think the Minister was there as well. It was incredible to see young and older people engage in this large venue which lies derelict for most of the year. Dublin City Council has been talking about reopening it at as a fruit market or some sort of venue since I was on the council six years ago. It is telling us now it will be 2026 by the time any kind of event is taking place there. That is a huge loss.

Young people are feeling better appreciated elsewhere. Without our artists, we lose one of our greatest draws as a destination and our soul as a people. Unaffordable aparthotels will not bring people to Dublin, yet they are starting to dominate our skyline. These developments have received much greater support from this Government and local government than start-ups, which would attract tourists wanting to experience our unique culture. During the pandemic, many of us asked when we will dance again. We are still asking that question half the week as we walk home at 11 p.m., disappointed at what once could have been a great and memorable night. Nobody wants to travel to Ireland for disappointments such as that.

For the events that do take place, ticket costs price many people out of them. Tickets for more and more concerts are costing well over €100. The Government must take action to improve accessibility and affordability.

Even on a Friday or Saturday where people might find a few options in Dublin in the early hours, they will be lucky to get a taxi home. I have countless constituents who will not travel into the city centre, even just across the Liffey, because they know they will have to stand around and be unsafe due to an inability to access a taxi later at night. That is part of where I see the absence of joined-up thinking. Despite card payment facilities being made mandatory in taxis since the beginning of September, we all still witness fares being turned down by drivers if they consider the journey too short.

We need better lighting around the city and a more effective visible policing to make our journeys home safer and great affordable public transport options to make those nights out possible. With the rise in energy costs, many businesses are saying they will now turn the lights off when they close up. What strikes me most is that Dublin comes across as unsafe when the lights go out. We need to ensure that businesses can be supported to keep them on.

The difficulties faced by these small businesses led to soulless multinationals buying out what are essential community spaces that showcase the best areas the country has to offer. These native businesses need greater backing to survive the coming winter, which promises unthinkable difficulties.

We have yet to see many of the consequences of the Government’s lack of support for the night-time economy in Dublin or for the arts in general. Believe me, it is one of the many reasons our young people and artists continue to leave the country in search of a better, more vibrant existence.

Another issue that raises its head in the summer - it certainly that pops up with every seasonal event - is price gouging among hotels. How many of us have gone onto Booking.comjust to see the cost of hotels in Dublin during the summer months? For example, in two weeks’ time, the Dublin Marathon will take place. Many of the 20,000 people who take part will come into the city and try to find accommodation only to be priced out of it. At various different points during the summer when any seasonal or important event is taking place, the price of hotel rooms in the city centre increase to between €350 and €500. That is simply unacceptable. When the Irish Hotels Federation was asked about this a number of times during the summer it pointed to supply and demand. It pointed also to the Americanisation of hotels, which no longer show a price on the door but, rather, tell people that if they book long in advance, they will get some deals. As hotel rooms are taken up, they become more expensive. That is not acceptable and it also gives the impression to tourists who come here that it is only the wealthy who can afford this city. This city is always at its best when people can get into the agora of Irish and Dublin society, can afford a hotel, go for a night out, have a drink or go to one of the cultural venues they see and believe they can afford to be here. For too many, that is not the case. There is no point to saying to people, “Come to Dublin for the winter – it is magic”, when many of the hotel rooms are already booked up and those that are not booked will price out tourists. That is not even close to being acceptable. The excuse has been made that some hotels are being given over to meet the needs of those who are suffering at the coal face of the housing crisis or fleeing from war. They should not be scapegoated for rising hotel prices. I welcome the investment into portraying Dublin on the world stage. However, people who will come here for the winter need to know they will be able to afford to do so and that requires thinking across various Departments. I thank the Minister and her Department.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister and her officials for being here and the excellent work they are doing. It means an awful lot to the people working in the industry, particularly in my constituency in County Kerry where the tourism and hospitality sector is so important to the wider economy.

I will raise a couple of issues in the relatively brief time I have. We could have only have dreamt of this amount of money a short few years ago. I remember 11 or 12 years ago discussing legislation of this nature and the amount of funding involved was only a fraction of what we have today. That is a good sign of where we are. We need to keep reinvesting in the Irish tourism product, which is why this Bill is welcome.

Experiences such as the Wild Atlantic Way, along which I live, and Ireland’s Ancient East and the Hidden Heartlands are very positive and have been a progressive feature of Irish tourism in recent years. One of the challenges we have is the car rental market, which I flagged previously. Many customers had a terrible experience in 2022 as a result of the price gouging that took place.

There is a further challenge coming down the road in 2023, however. Much of the stock that is there at the moment comprises cars with 191 or 192 registration plates, many of which will be facing the national car test, NCT, in the new year but simply will not be able to get an appointment for a test. Hundreds, if not thousands, of 191 and 192 registered rental cars could be taken off the market early in the new year while awaiting an NCT appointment. That needs to be addressed.

Another significant challenge relates to the costs associated with importing new or used cars. In particular, I refer to UK imports and the vehicle registration tax, customs and VAT prices associated with their importation. It simply makes them unviable and reduces the amount of stock available. Many Deputies are trying to push the likes of the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland's Ancient East and the Hidden Heartlands but if people cannot rent cars when they come here, it makes it very difficult for them to access those areas. Until we get to a point where it can be done more sustainably, car rental will be necessary for the vast majority of people visiting these experiences.

I encourage further progress in respect of the development of the Irish Sea way, a matter that I was keen to get onto the programme for Government, and the wild Atlantic walkway. I regularly raise this issue and seek updates on it, and I thank the Minister for her replies. I want to keep it on the agenda. These are important proposals with significant untapped potential that will introduce new elements to Irish tourism in the years and decades ahead.

As regards greenways, it is critical that we keep building them, but also keep connecting them. I had the pleasure of cycling the new Listowel-Limerick greenway last Monday morning. It was not my typical Monday morning. I took a couple of hours off to check it out with my former colleague, Jimmy Deenihan, and it was a marvellous experience. I also did some of the Tralee-Fenit greenway with my children when it opened last Saturday. Those greenways are beautiful and fantastic experiences that will definitely add to the county. Greenways are being developed throughout the country. We hope the south Kerry greenway will be started before the end of the year. It is important that there is a connection between the greenways so that people can cycle along a network of them. I welcome the announcements yesterday by the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, but we need to keep pushing that and creating as many safe and segregated cycleways as possible, with plenty to see and do, as well as all the other things that we know are needed.

I wish to raise the issue of camper vans and the lack of infrastructure for them. There is an opportunity here for local authorities. People are coming here in camper vans and camping ad hoc. A regulated and controlled system could turn into an opportunity for local authorities in terms of revenue-raising potential, but also in terms of protecting sensitive areas and ensuring there is a little bit of law and order in the context of how camper vans are dealt with in this country. There is an economic benefit to be gained from the people who come. Despite the fact that many people dismiss camper vans, there is an economic benefit to be gained from the people who travel here in them. However, there needs to be a proper strategy for how to roll this out among local authorities.

I am a long-time advocate of retaining the 9% VAT rate. That is the maximum the rate should be to allow us to compete with our European competitors. I hope that between now and 28 February the right thing will be done in respect of the 2023 season. I ask that the many not be punished for the sins of the few in the context of the price gouging that we have seen. There is excellent value to be had in many places. I ask that data be provided to the House in respect of accommodation and food services and the VAT breakdown in that regard. One option that could be considered is the application of a 9% VAT to one of the services if it cannot be done for both. If that could be done, it would at least be better than a complete reversal. I feel strongly on that issue.

I welcome the extension of the debt warehousing scheme. It is important for tourism operators, as are the energy support grants that were announced in the budget. They are massively important as people go into winter, but they will be also be very helpful to businesses, which may otherwise have to close, as they prepare for spring. We need to keep a close eye on that because 2023 will be a challenging year and it will be difficult for people to recover from what have been, in effect, three extremely challenging seasons. There is only so much straw the camel's back can take before it finally breaks. Many operators have been through three really difficult seasons and are finding it difficult to cope.I welcome the extension of those supports but we need to keep a close eye on them to ensure they are not withdrawn too early, before people have a proper chance to recover and to build for the future.

In the few seconds I have remaining, I commend the work of Fáilte Ireland, but also the work of our colleagues in Tourism Ireland to get people into the country in the first place. They do vital work, without which we would have far fewer tourists in the country. Ireland has a relatively small economy and population, so that vital work, in conjunction with the work of Fáilte Ireland, is welcome. I encourage every collaboration between those two agencies.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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It is good to see the increase in funding, and I welcome it. Post Covid in particular, we need to rebuild the tourism sector. I am sure many Deputies are aware of the torrential rain on Sunday night in Cork city and the flooding that affected areas such as Hollyhill, Blackpool, Ballyphehane, Glanmire and other areas across the city. The flooding had a devastating impact on businesses and homes in the area. It is really difficult to attract tourism to areas that do not have the shops and facilities to go with it. Businesses lost floor stock and fittings. The Government has announced a potential humanitarian fund but the last time such a fund was announced for Cork, it excluded businesses, some of which were in the tourism industry. I ask the Minister to ensure that businesses affected by the flooding, including those in tourism, are able to access that humanitarian fund.

Almost one in five people who travel to Ireland visits Cork. Obviously it is a fabulous place, speaking as a Cork man. It is an incredibly popular spot but it has much more potential. I want to see more investment to deliver on the potential that we know Cork has. I will speak briefly about Shandon, an area close to where I live. Shandon is one of the most iconic areas of Cork and home to one of its most iconic buildings. It is a hugely historic site, with referencing dating back to the 12th century. There is not a part of Cork from which Shandon cannot be seen. It is home to the wonderful Shandon Sweets, run by Tony Linehan, as well as O'Connell Square, which is a prime example of land in the public realm that is ripe for improvement. There are the Butter Exchange, which dates back to 1770, the Shandon Bells and the church in which they are located, and Shandon cathedral. The area is so impressive but it needs investment to develop it as a tourist destination. Unfortunately, there are high levels of dereliction. The area needs to undergo regeneration to make Shandon the iconic tourist destination that is needed in the heart of Cork. There have been initiatives through the years, such as an artists' residence, for example, but they were only pilot projects. We need a long-term project. The National Tourism Development Authority, working with Cork City Council, could come into Shandon and make a real difference. We want to see increased funding. The Minister needs to consider whether it is time to start working to end the dereliction in Shandon that is a barrier to its potential as a centre for tourism. My office is on Shandon Street. It is an area that is steeped in history and tradition and has some brilliant people. With investment, and in conjunction with Cork City Council, we can have a thriving community and really deliver for tourism in Cork.

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Our next slot is for Solidarity-People Before Profit. Unfortunately, there are no Deputies from that grouping present.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I could take that slot as well.

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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I am sure you could. We will move to the Government slot. I call Deputy Murnane O'Connor.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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After the three years we have just been through, capital funding for investment in tourism cannot come quickly enough for tourism businesses in my constituency.

For the information of the House, Carlow once served as the administrative capital of the Lordship of Ireland under King Edward III from 1361 to 1374. So I can say with confidence, we were once the capital of this fair land. Yet we lag behind other counties when it comes to spend. Carlow is the least visited county in Ireland. But we have such wealth in tourist attractions, from history, culture, adventure, water activities, castle hotels and luxurious accommodation, to golf and rural sports, the list is endless.

Capital expenditure on our tourism offering enables the sector to attract a greater number of tourists, both from overseas and domestically. Every 1,000 additional overseas tourists supports 20 jobs in the domestic tourism industry.

The domestic visitor is critical to tourism business, especially regional businesses, as domestic consumers will travel all year round and to a much wider breadth of destinations than the typical overseas visitor.

Recently, I supported my local credit union to undertake a charity walk in the beautiful Milford area of Carlow, an area rich with history, biodiversity and gorgeous scenery right by the river. Carlow Tourism has a great campaign called Wander off the Track which shows off our beautiful area in Carlow. One can walk, as I have often done, from Ballinabrannagh down to the great Tinnahinch, which is an area with beautiful scenery, but there needs to be more investment in this attraction. We are promoting people towards healthy eating and living and we have such wonderful attractions in Carlow, but we need to support more of them. I noticed myself that there are no toilets and the river track, even though it is beautiful, needs more work to be done on it. I ask that it be developed.

Carlow County Council has asked for support for the development of a water activity hub in Carlow Town Park for users of the River Barrow as an amenity and recreational hub for Carlow town and county together with the development of Oak Park into a high value tourist and amenity location with developed walking infrastructure. They have plans for the connection of the Wicklow Way in Clonegal with the South Leinster Way in Kildavin.

There are great plans that need our support to be realised for Carlow and there are great things happening with our tourist attractions. The OPW team at Altamont Gardens in Ballon were recently awarded the prestigious green flag award for 2022–23, an international scheme that recognises and encourages the provision of good quality parks and green spaces that are managed in environmentally sustainable ways. Good attractions deserve our support to promote them.

Fáilte Ireland’s capital allocation for 2022 is €36.5 million. To drawdown the full 2022 capital allocation, Fáilte Ireland would exceed the current threshold by €2.7 million and therefore no allocation can be made to Fáilte Ireland in 2023 unless the proposed legislation to increase the current threshold from €300 million to €500 million is enacted. I encourage us all, therefore, to support this Bill to get tourism funded and to support it to grow.

I am aware that I only have a few minutes speaking time left as I am sharing time but all I can say is that the Minister is welcome to Carlow and Kilkenny any time. I am so proud to be a Carlovian, we have so much to offer and we would greatly appreciate every piece of funding. I have called out a number of projects for the Minister which I know she will look at.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Acting Chairman and for the opportunity to speak on the National Tourism Development Authority (Amendment) Bill. I acknowledge the increase in funding from €300 million to €500 million.

Tourism is one of Ireland’s most important economic sectors and its significance as a source of employment and regional development cannot be underestimated. The substantial increase in funding will allow Fáilte Ireland to better support tourism, enterprise and projects, as well as the development of tourism facilities and services across our country.

By increasing investment in both Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, we can continue to improve and promote our overall offering as a top-quality and value-for-money destination. Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on tourism in the past two years and the focus now must be on supporting the sector as it rebounds by restoring jobs and continuing to promote domestic staycations to make Ireland an attractive place for international visitors.

The tourism sector has proven vitally important in Mayo and this has been shown by the success of the Wild Atlantic Way. Prioritising continuous investment in the Wild Atlantic Way is a priority of mine, which in turn will bring further sustainable benefits to communities all across our western seaboard. New innovative tourism projects continue to be developed in our county, including the investment of over €20 million at Westport House. There is also the development of the Wild Nephin National Park at Ballycroy and a €2.6 million investment in the state-of-the-art visitor centre at the Céide Fields which has recently opened.

We are very fortunate also that we have the Great Western Greenway, Ireland’s first greenway, running 44 km around the east and northern stretches of Clew Bay with many future plans in place to extend this towards Louisburgh and beyond. We must, therefore, continue to invest heavily in our greenways and cycle routes to achieve an integrated nationwide network. With increased funding provided by this Bill, we need to continue to deliver tourism projects which have been earmarked for County Mayo. These include the outdoor water-based activity centres at Keel on Achill Island and also at Carrowmore Beach in Louisburgh. I was given a provisional date of 2024 before these projects will be operational, but I believe that we need to revisit or ensure that we have additional focus on the delivery times for these Fáilte Ireland-supported projects.

Also, we have projects earmarked around the Keem Bay Signature Discovery Point and a 56 km cycle track to the Wild Nephin National Park at Ballycroy.

The collaboration between Fáilte Ireland and the local authorities needs additional oversight, especially within the Oireachtas, and I would definitely support any call the Minister’s Department might make in this regard.

Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent)
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As a member of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important Bill and will support its progress on Second Stage.

The Government has been trying to soften the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic by extending significant financial assistance to the tourism sector. This includes hospitality, travel and tourism, leisure and sporting sectors coming within the scope of its emergency credit. However, new figures from the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation ITIC, show that visitor numbers are down 20% so far this year.

The main purpose of this Bill is to increase the aggregate level of advances that may be made to the National Tourism Development Authority, Fáilte Ireland, out of capital moneys provided by the Oireachtas for the purpose of supporting enterprises and projects relating to the development of tourist traffic and the development of tourist facilities and services.

Festivals and events play a key role in attracting domestic and international visitors to Ireland. Budget 2023 allowed for continued investment in hosting large-scale events such as US college football and the development of new festivals.

In the past week I had the pleasure of announcing funding for Louth GAA’s new stadium project, thanks to a remarkable €14.8 million windfall from the Government’s Immigrant Investor Programme. This funding was very welcome and will certainly attract tourists to County Louth.

Despite the swift recovery from the impact of the pandemic and the war in Europe, the economy still faces major challenges, including rising interest rates and high inflation. The budget was a mixed one for Irish tourism and hospitality businesses. The maintenance of the allocation in capital funding of €130 million for tourism development will help Fáilte Ireland to continue to support and deliver enhanced tourism amenities in line with the objectives of the new National Development Plan 2021-30.

Night-time economy funds were also allocated to drive footfall further into towns to support performances with eight night-time advisors to lead reforms nationwide, while soundproofing grants will help night venues and nightclubs.

The funding for the tourism sector will ensure that Fáilte Ireland can continue its important work of implementing recovery programmes and campaigns to help deliver the economic growth of the industry and of individual tourism businesses. That said, there are significant challenges facing the tourism sector and the viability of some tourism businesses is a real concern.

The temporary business energy support scheme was welcomed as an important measure to assist businesses with soaring energy inflation, although concerns have been raised that it does not go far enough. Meanwhile, Government’s failure to use budget 2023 to extend the 9% VAT rate, increasing it by 50% from 1 March next year, was described as disappointing and that the Government has not fully recognised the importance of the tourism industry to every town and county in Ireland.

While budget 2023 should rightly be a cost-of-living budget, it should have also formed part of a wider roadmap towards ensuring Ireland is an attractive place to do business and not to be crucifying the tourism and hospitality sectors with a VAT increase come March 2023.

I support the amendment of section 24(2) of the National Tourism Development Authority Act 2003. I support the increase in the collective level of advance that may be made to the authority from €300 million to €500 million.

Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, is the statutory body with responsibility for the encouragement, promotion and support of tourism. The tourism sector has always relied heavily on overseas visitors, especially in my constituency of Louth and east Meath, as we border the North. However, we need additional supports. We need to help the hospitality sector, not hinder it. Domestic and overseas market investment is also essential to promote tourism sales and marketing campaigns to maximise home holidays, which have proven vital in helping businesses to survive and protecting jobs. Therefore, it is vital that Fáilte Ireland receives adequate funding to support this investment.

Other pressures in tourism revolve around staff retention and sustainable tourism to our country. The budget 2023 measures announced an additional €15 million for a range of industry initiatives, including investment in skills development, recruitment and retention and the building of a pipeline of future employees. Fáilte Ireland recently launched a new employers' initiative to help to reposition how the industry is seen as a career choice, to support businesses to consistently drive good employment practices, to build the appeal of the workplace and to show good employers across the industry.

Additionally, the increase to Fáilte Ireland, if passed today, will enhance the digital capacity of tourism businesses. This will be achieved through the tailored digital programme which will provide businesses with tools to boost their online distribution and booking systems to empower them to compete in a highly competitive global marketplace. The work of Fáilte Ireland also allows us to ensure the tourism sector plays its part to help deliver Ireland's commitment under the Paris Agreement on climate change and achieve the ambition of the sustainable tourism working groups which aim to place Ireland among the world leaders in sustainable tourism practices.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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I want to raise a couple of points with the Minister in regard to tourism in Ireland and this Bill. First, there is a lot of development that has to happen to increase the benefits to communities and counties with regard to the heritage and tourism sites that they have. To give an example, in Meath most tourism is currently on the basis of a coach bus out of a Dublin hotel that hits Newgrange and Trim Castle and then returns to the Dublin hotel for dinner. What I have been trying to do for the last 12 years is to have a greenway going from the source of the River Boyne to the estuary. I passed a motion in the council 12 years ago and a tiny bit of work has been done in some places in that regard. Everybody here is, of course, going to sing the praises of their own locality, but the Boyne Valley is very significant in that it is our Valley of the Kings in many ways. It has the only UNESCO world heritage site in this jurisdiction, it has the Hill of Tara, which has such an international reputation, it has the Battle of the Boyne site and it has Trim Castle and all of the other elements. This particular greenway would be internationally recognised in terms of bringing tourists to this country yet its development has been pretty much stagnant in the last five or six years.

For me, it is an example of some of the difficulties that I hope Deputy Martin will be able to grapple with in her time as Minister. We have a dysfunction in how we deal with projects in this country. It takes forever and an age to deliver some of the simplest things. I do not know whether it is inertia within the higher echelons of the public service or elsewhere but if this was the private sector, it would not take 12 years to even get a couple of kilometres paved.

Another example is the Hill of Tara, which was the site of the high kings of Ireland and it is our Stonehenge in many ways. Again, I spoke to previous Ministers in Deputy Martin's position about the development of a plan for the Hill of Tara. One was published at the start of this month, and I praise the Lord for that and it is good news that it has happened, but it is still a prime example of how slow it is to move projects on in this country.

I want to mention Sliabh na Caillí at Loughcrew, a 5,000-year-old Neolithic passage grave or cairn which contains Neolithic artwork. It is being held up by a rusty acrow at the moment. Any state must be a philistine state to deal with such a level of historic and heritage importance in this way.

Another example of where we are glacially slow in the development of heritage projects is Moore Street. Again, I have spoken to Minister after Minister with regard to, first, the importance of that battlefield site and, second, its potential in terms of tourism. Yet, we have this shocking situation where it is now at the centre of enormous and grave allegations around potential corruption, where allegations were made in newspapers and the print media and where it is alleged the traders of Moore Street were pressurised with the attraction of money to vote in favour of the Hammerson planning application on that site. That was meant to be open in 2016 as a visitor site but it is still lying idle. Right now, Moore Street is famous for a number of things: defecation, urination and alcohol and drug abuse. That is what is happening on this battlefield site, the birthplace of this nation. If the Minister were to leave a legacy, it would be to inject a system into the Department to deliver these projects on time and in a speedy manner. It is a monument to what is wrong with the delivery of projects in this country.

There are currently three tourism bodies on the island of Ireland, Tourism NI, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. To have three organisations working on such a small island is not an efficient use of resources. I understand the structure is a hangover from the Good Friday Agreement but we really need to get to one tourism body, North and South, with efficiency in terms of staff, offices and the marketing of this country.

Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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I welcome the Government's proposal to expand the spending limit of €500 million to the tourism sector before the end of the year. I can promise the Minister it is extremely badly needed. In her opening address, the Minister highlighted that tourism has been Ireland's most important indigenous labour-intensive sector, generating substantial export earnings and tax revenues, and nobody would disagree with that statement. She also spoke of it being woven into the fabric of Irish cultural and social life and the critical role it plays in regional economies, and, again, there is no disagreement there. She also spoke of the multiplier effect on agriculture, the services sector and the indigenous sector in terms of hospitality, beverage, entertainment and so on. She has rightly identified that this is a very important sector in the country. I would go as far as to say it is probably most important in the regions of the country, given we do not have the same economies of scale as the large cities and, therefore, many people in rural parts of Ireland depend on some of the revenue that comes from tourism.

It is interesting the way Ireland has changed over the last 30 or 40 years. I can certainly remember as a youngster that Killarney and Galway were littered with bed and breakfasts and there were very few hotels, and those who went on holidays, by and large, did so in bed and breakfasts. We have had quite a big turnaround in that sector in recent years and we now have many hotels, but not in all parts of the country. There is also a real offering for a different type of holiday. The Minister mentioned the idea of experiential holidays, which is the way a lot of tourism seems to be going, and Ireland can certainly do well in that sector if we have the right product. However, we have to be able to tailor that to people's needs and to their pockets.

I want to speak about my own county and city, Waterford, the oldest city and the founding city of the country. Waterford city has had more American visitors this year than Irish visitors, and that is a first in any tourism year. We have seen the return of luxury liners to Dunmore East, which is very welcome. However, it has to be noted that we were restricted in the number of liners that we could bring in because the harbourmaster would only allow a certain number. The Minister's Department needs to talk to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for next year because we cannot have a repeat of that. We had business coming from liners that could not dock off Dunmore East. It is a great experience for all involved and it is much needed for the area.

We have five top-class museums in Waterford, including two new additions over the past two years, those being, the Irish Silver Museum and the Irish Museum of Time, which is recognised as a stand-out world-class museum. We also have the Waterford Museum of Treasures, which is having its busiest year ever. What is amazing about this group of museums is that they charge people admission. I could leave the House tonight and go into the National Museum next door for free, but I cannot go into any museum in Waterford for free. I have to pay. This is a serious inequity for the likes of the Waterford Museum of Treasures. Why are we not giving enough funding to attractions around the country to support them with this? Most visitors to Waterford do not buy tickets to all five museums. Instead, they buy one or two tickets because doing otherwise would be too expensive even though they might like to see the other museums. We are losing out because of this.

As the Minister knows, we have a great culture festival in Waterford. She attended Spraoi last year and Winterval will be held at Christmas. We also have the West Waterford Festival of Food. We have people who are clued into creating indigenous and foreign tourist appeal in our city and county, but they need support. Spraoi has pointed out that extra funding was provided during Covid last year, for which I thank the Minister, but we do not do well in the funding stakes overall. I was on a council for a year and I know it is difficult for the local authority to find funding. Will the Minister consider this matter, particularly for the coming year, which will be hard on the retail and tourism sectors?

We have five blue flag beaches in the county. They are top class in every way, but I am involved in an initiative that is trying to bring beach wheelchairs onto some of them. These are wheelchairs for disabled people that would run on the beach. Disabled people who are wheelchair bound cannot get onto the beaches because their wheelchairs' wheels are generally too narrow to travel across the sand. They certainly cannot get near the water. Beach wheelchairs would allow for that.

That is one issue. Another is that Tramore, which is one of the largest and busiest beaches in Waterford, needs a disability changing room with a hoist. We need to be able to present ourselves as an inclusive town, city and resort which people in wheelchairs can visit and where, if needs be, they can change and be hoisted. Otherwise, they cannot come. There is a significant number of people to whom the seaside experience is not available. This matter has been raised at council meetings, where funding is always pointed to as the issue, but we are not talking about big money in the grand scheme of things. Will the Minister consider this matter?

I wish to address the marketing of Waterford. I am not a fan of Ireland's Ancient East. I always thought that we should have been brought into the Wild Atlantic Way, but we were not. However, we have the Copper Coast, which is a stand-out area of special conservation. I have a concern about Ireland's policy on wind generation off the south coast, though. There are three separate wind farms proposed for off the south coast of Waterford and east Cork. Later this week, a briefing will be given in the AV room by the ESB. The ESB tells us that it will have wind pylons 12 km from shore, which is approximately 7 miles. Those pylons will be 350 m high and there will be an array of 60 to 70 of them per field. I ask that the Government take a long, hard look at its wind generation policy before it starts planting a plethora of turbines down in one of the most scenic parts of the country. We in Waterford are prepared to do our bit to support the national energy crisis and sustainable energy, but not at the cost of our amenities.

Since the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, is a representative of the Green Party, I will ask her two questions on wind energy. First, what will the community dividend of these three wind farms be to the coastal communities? I have met some of the promoters involved and I understand that the community dividend is payable over 15 years, yet the life of these licences will be 25 years and the life of these farms will be 50 years. Will the Minister examine this matter? Second, is the Government considering putting a ratchet in place so that we can understand what price the Irish people will pay for our indigenous wind generation as opposed to the price at which we will export it? If required, the Government could step in whenever it wishes and use a known formula to take ownership by nationalising the wind generation infrastructure. We must hold off on awarding any of these licences until we review the situation. I have a strong concern that wind energy will end up in a Corrib-type situation, particularly where wind off the south coast is concerned, in that we will be left looking at the wind turbines blotting our landscape and will be paying more for the energy while getting very little by way of recompense. I ask that the Minister raise this matter with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications.

Our night-time economy is in terrible order. There need to be supports for business. The energy situation is critical, but the issue of staffing is also difficult. We are probably heading into a recession. We cannot have the vibrant cultural tourism offering that the Minister spoke about if we do not have private businesses that can actually stay in business. In recent weeks, Revenue has been getting tough on people in the service and hospitality sector in terms of the moneys they owe by issuing demand letters, increasing rates and so on. We cannot have talk in the House about helping sectors unless we put money on the ground to support business and staffing. Will the Minister consider this matter?

I have been trying to help the Government with the insurance sector. Legislation on occupiers' liability is forthcoming and the reform of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board, PIAB, will pass before the end of the year, but we still need significant pressure from the Government. Regarding children's activities, for example, bouncy castle operators are now finished, as are people with climbing frames, because they cannot get insurance. How are we to attract families and small children with our tourism offering if we cannot allow them to play safely because we do not have adequate insurance cover in place or we have not regulated the courts enough to ensure they are not awarding exceptional damages for light injuries?

I support the additional moneys, which I hope to see allocated fairly once stakeholders in the tourism sector are spoken to. They can say how best the moneys can be spent and where they will have the most effect.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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We recognise that this is a technical Bill and no one will oppose it. We accept the point that Fáilte Ireland has a job to do in selling this State and the entire island, which is what we want it to do.

No different from anyone else, I will extol the virtues of the part of the world where I live. We will start with the wonders of the Boyne Valley and go right through to historic Drogheda, including the horrors of Cromwell. County Louth is the land of Cú Chulainn - Baile Átha Fhirdia to Knockbridge, where I am from, and Dún Dealgan to the Cooley Peninsula, home of the Táin Bó Cúailnge.

We all know that certain actions can be taken to facilitate Louth. We have never sold our part of the world. When speaking about the northern part of the island, there must be cross-Border considerations. Some of the Carlingford-Omeath-Newry greenway, which covers North and South, is already done. It is to be facilitated. There are particular safety issues. Councillor Antóin Waters has been dealing with Louth County Council and other stakeholders in that regard. The greenway must be delivered.

I accept some of what has been said, in that we must get a handle on public liability insurance. This is an issue for businesses, community groups and anyone who is trying to provide the sorts of service that families and children will be looking for if we get them to this wonderful country.

The Narrow Water Bridge will open up the connection between Omeath and Warrenpoint. Wondrous things can be done. There are the glories of the Cooley Mountains all the way through to the Mourne Mountains. We could put a serious amount of effort into selling that part of the world.

Covid-19 was probably very useful for many people who lived there because it caused them to suddenly realise the resource on their doorsteps. We must, however, sell this to a wider audience and there is definitely room to do this. We all know the issue we have with housing, homelessness and not having dealt with vacant buildings and all those other issues. We really must get a handle on this. We know the issues there are with hotels, some of the mitigating circumstances regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the work we are doing in that regard, but we need to get a handle on this situation before it impacts all the other aspects of tourism.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I am delighted to have an opportunity to speak on this issue and I welcome the Minister to the House. This is a technical Bill and will be supported from all sides of the House. It provides an opportunity for Members to speak about some of the tourism issues affecting their constituencies. I thank the Government and all the Ministers for the very welcome financial injection it gave to the tourism sector in the recent budget. It was much needed in the context of the energy crisis. I have spoken to hoteliers in my constituency. For those hotels with leisure centres, swimming pools, gyms and the like, especially, energy prices have gone through the roof and this is impacting them greatly. I would like the Minister and the Government to watch over this sector because it is important to our economy.

This brings me to the rate of VAT in the tourism context. I understand it was there for a specific reason. I spoke to hoteliers in my constituency during the summer and leading up to the budget regarding the VAT rate. Hotel prices in Dublin acted as a major dampener in the context of the way they were running their businesses. The more they came out to try to defend their position during the summer months, the more infuriated I became. I refer specifically to the bigger cities and Dublin. We must examine separating hotel prices in Dublin from those, for example, in Wexford, where I come from. I will try to defend those in Wexford, where there is fantastic value in most hotels.

I heard some people from the Irish Hotels Federation coming out in recent months and saying that it was possible to get a night in a hotel in Dublin for €140. Well, I would like to have seen that. As someone who stays in Dublin from one to three nights weekly, the cheapest hotel it was possible to get during the summer months of June, July and August, or in May, June and July when the Dáil was sitting, was €280 to €300. Some Members have told me that their rates went up by 200% and more in some of the hotels they were staying in. Those hotels were sending a clear message that they were making hay while the sun shone. Fair play to them. They forgot, though, about the rainy days and there will always be rainy days. This is why I ask the Minister to examine the VAT rate in Dublin. I spoke to the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, about this point. I know it is difficult to do. More importantly, however, I ask her to look at the VAT rate in the hotel sector and in the restaurant sector. Our restaurants are really under pressure. I genuinely make this point to the Minister. I have no vested interest in any restaurant or anything like that, but speaking to restaurateurs in my constituency and here in Dublin, in the context of energy prices and everything like that having gone through the roof, I genuinely ask the Minister to look at this VAT rate.

Turning to An Bord Pleanála, I wish to talk about its process, system and criteria. There is a shortage of hotels here. Representatives of An Bord Pleanála should be hauled in and asked what they are playing at. I have a perfect example of what I am talking about in Wexford town. An Bord Pleanála has refused a hotel planning permission on two occasions now. All the issues originally raised by the board have been fully addressed, and I mean fully addressed, and yet the hotel got a second refusal in this regard. I just cannot understand this. I see the situation with the ring road in Galway, and I know there are specific issues there, and it is nothing to do with me because it is not in my county, but I feel that what is happening in An Bord Pleanála means its representatives should be brought in and asked what their game is, what they are playing at and what is going on in that organisation. I will say no more.

The last Deputy spoke about the Ukrainian crisis and the refugee crisis we have. The Government must get a handle on this for next year's tourism market, specifically regarding the hotel sector. Ireland is becoming a very costly destination. Regarding the number of hotels that have closed their doors to take in Ukrainian refugees, that is their own business. We have a crisis and we must handle it. At the same time, however, we cannot forget about our domestic tourism market. We do not want to overprice and destroy ourselves for many years to come in this regard.

Turning to the Rosslare-Waterford greenway, I am aware that a rail review is being undertaken now. I am not sure where the publication of that report stands. Talk about the western rail corridor has been going on as long as I have been in Government, since 2011, and it is still going on. I do not believe that a railway will ever again run between Rosslare and Waterford. If it does, however, I will have no problem with it. I believe we can also look, however, at having a greenway running in parallel with the Rosslare-Waterford line. Greenways are a fantastic tourism magnet for every county. We see that in the south east. I differ with my colleague regarding the Ireland's Ancient East marketing initiative. I think it is doing a fantastic job. I would, though, like to see us get the same marketing as the Wild Atlantic Way gets.

The other issue I wish to talk about concerns car rental. This is a major issue and there is a great shortage in this regard. The cost of car rental is extremely high and this is driving away tourists from our American and other markets. I am also delighted that "Prime Time" is going to do a programme on O'Connell Street this week. As an Irish person, it is a street I am ashamed of. It is full of druggies, crime, antisocial behaviour, robberies, takeaways and alcohol. This is the main street in our national capital. If Dublin City Council does not address what is happening on O'Connell Street, and the streets surrounding it, then I would not send a tourist there-----

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy. He is over his time.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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-----because I would be ashamed for them to see what is down that street.

Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the chance to talk about this Bill and the importance of tourism. Urban areas are also important in the tourism trade. In Dublin West, and in Dublin 15 in particular, we have many tourism opportunities. We have the old Castleknock Castle and Mulhuddart Cemetery. The Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies observatory at Dunsink is one of the potential jewels in the crown for tourism not just in Dublin but in Ireland. Anyone who has visited it will have seen the massive potential it has. To mention just one site in particular, I refer to the old Porterstown National School, which opened its doors in 1854. In many urban areas, unfortunately, developers come in, outbid local authorities and buy land. This is what has happened with the old Porterstown school site. Over the years, as developers sit on sites like this, important protected structures, such as the old Porterstown National School, get damaged and vandalised. Windows are broken, the roof gets damaged and suddenly there is also water and fire damage. Many protected structures like this then get destroyed over time.

6 o’clock

This has been put up for sale in recent weeks, which is important because the developer has tried to do a huge build-to-rent redevelopment and has not succeeded and, therefore, he has decided to cut his losses. This is an opportunity for Tourism Ireland and Fingal County Council, or for a joint operation between them, to provide capital funding to buy this land and school. We have to remember that this is part of a jigsaw because we have the Royal Canal greenway coming along in the next few years. Most of the greenway is built and the last section of it is coming along Clonsilla. This is a real opportunity for Dublin 15 and Clonsilla to be provided with some capital funding.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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It is fitting that we are discussing this topic of tourism and development as a wonderful organisation called Munster Vales today held a sustainable tourism event in Caiseal Mumhan, Cashel, County Tipperary, which I, unfortunately, could not attend due to being here. From what I heard it was an excellent event and I want to compliment Tríona O'Mahony and her team for that. Munster Vales is doing fantastic work promoting the region of Tipperary, north Cork, Limerick and down to the Copper Coast in Waterford. It is great to see these local authorities working together - ní neart go cur le chéile - to promote tourism in the region.

For far too long these regions have been left behind but it is great to see a real effort to promote the natural beauty and amenities we have in these areas. I hope that through this Bill we will be able to go further with that. For far too long those areas were left behind by the National Tourism Development Authority and we had to rely on volunteers, whom I salute. I particularly want to pay tribute to Knockmealdown Active, a wonderful voluntary community organisation that celebrated its tenth anniversary two week's ago in the community hall of my village of Caisleán Nua na Siúire. The brain behind that was Kevin O'Donnell, who had Kilmaneen Farmhouse. It brought all the local communities together under Knockmealdown Active on the slopes and at the foot of the Knockmealdown Mountains. This includes my home village of Newcastle, Ardfinnan, Goatenbridge, Clogheen, Ballyporeen and Araglin. It also extends trasna na sléibhte to Mount Melleray and its famed abbey and to Lismore.

I would like to compliment the founding members of Knockmealdown Active: Billy Hale, Mark Rylands and Marian O'Dwyer, an rúnaí. They have done tremendous work, it has been an outstanding success and I salute them. I salute the way they brought together representatives of each of the communities in an effort to work together to promote tourism and improve the quality of life in our communities by introducing outdoor amenities. They have worked hard to manage our waymarked trails and hold guided walks and kayak trips on our Suir blueway. Most notably they have organised the Knockmealdown challenge, which brought 600 participants to An Caisleán Nua, Newcastle, this year, for an adventure race comprising cycling, trail running through the Knockmealdown Mountains and kayaking in the famous Bay Lough, where Petticoat Loose was renowned to reside. This event is a wonderful success in its sixth year and it is an example of how successful community events can be run. The organisation has operated without any significant State funding and its success is down to the commitment of the committee members, and all of the different committees and clubs in the area joined in this year. It was wonderful and the true spirit of the meitheal was active in organising that.

It is also hugely involved in the development of the fantastic St. Declan's Way project, which is a wonderful 116 km waymarked trail stretching from Caiseal Mumhan through Tipperary to Ardmore, County Waterford. Bhí an tAire ann leis an bprionsa. The Minister was in Cashel earlier this year during the royal visit. Many years ago, Knockmealdown Active and Kevin O'Donnell in particular came to me with a proposal to hugely increase the tourism potential in the Knockmealdown region but unfortunately at the time Fáilte Ireland and the other agencies could not fund it. Hopefully, the Bill will change that. Thankfully during Covid, people began to see the value and the asset of where they are living. We have to be careful going forward as tourism faces challenges with the cost of living so we do not know if people will be able to travel to our area. It is important that Fáilte Ireland gets behind and supports these forgotten areas.

I also want to pay tribute to Munster Vales, under the guidance of Tríona O'Mahony and to Tipperary Tourism, under the guidance of Marie Phelan, who does an excellent job, for all their wonderful work in the presentation of Tipperary and the Munster vales as an attractive outdoor destination. I acknowledge the work of Tipperary food producers for their massive efforts in promoting the county as a top destination for food tourism. We have so much to offer in Tipperary with the Knockmealdown Mountains, the Galtee Mountains, the Vee valley and the Glen of Aherlow, stretching up to the Lough Derg region. We have the best castles and heritage buildings with the Rock of Cashel, Cahir Castle and the Swiss Cottage, all in Cashel, Carrick-on-Suir and so on. We have the heritage and culture and we want to promote it. We look forward to engaging with the Minister. Beidh fíor-fáilte roimpi teacht síos agus féachaint air sin.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I started out as a county councillor in what was then known as the Killorglin electoral area, which covered all of the Iveragh Peninsula down into Valentia Island, Portmagee and Ballinskelligs. It is probably the most beautiful part of the entire western world. County Kerry is the tourism capital of the world and Killarney is the finest destination that any person could ever want to go to. It is a privilege, therefore, to be here talking about tourism and promoting what is good in Kerry in tourism.

The tourism sector in Ireland is considered to be a labour-intensive one, providing employment opportunities for a range of skills and work patterns, with strong regional disparity. The strength of the tourism sector is also seen as important to the protection and development of rural economies. The distinction between Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland is that the latter is solely responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas as a holiday, business and tourism destination. Tourism Ireland's primary objective is to increase visitor numbers to the island of Ireland, whereas Fáilte Ireland is focused on product development. All the agencies of the State have to work together as a team, whether they are the ones I am after mentioning, us as politicians or the excellent county councillors we have in all our local authorities up and down the length and breadth of the country from all parties and none, including in County Kerry. Our job as a team is to bring as many people as possible from all over Europe and the world and let them see, taste feel and enjoy what it is to come to Ireland. That is what it is all about.

They need only come here once and see what we have to offer. Once they see the beautiful scenery and enjoy our hospitality, eat the food, meet the locals and experience what it is to have a holiday in Ireland they will continuously want to come back. They will be our ambassadors, as they have been with the past 100 years, because word of mouth is the best thing in the world. People will tell other people that they went to Ireland, that it was great and they will explain all the good things we have to offer. We do tourism better than anyone else.

We can fight about different things but I want to thank present and past Governments for the work they have put in to promote tourism. Like everything, we cannot sit down; we have to do more. We have to send people abroad to sell Ireland. I will use Kenmare as an example, where we have the Brennan brothers. At this stage anybody who knows anything about tourism knows about Francis Brennan and his explaining of selling Ireland, Kerry and Kenmare as a tourism destination that is second to none. We need more people to be our ambassadors and to promote all the things that are good about Ireland.

I want to thank the business people, whether they are the small shop owners, the small hoteliers, the big hoteliers, the guest house owners, the bed and breakfast accommodation providers or the Airbnb providers. The Government seems to have its sights on Airbnb providers in a desire to shut them down, which is stupid beyond belief because we have to allow for all the different categories of people who are coming here to be catered for. They could be coming to stay in a budget hostel, which is excellent if that is what they want, and if they are coming with a knapsack and a bicycle under them they are welcome.

If they are coming in a tour group they are welcome as are those hiring a car. All of the different categories of people are welcome and we want to be able to cater for all of the financial ranges. The beauty of Ireland is that we can take care of all the layers of tourists who come. We have to ensure the businesses can stay open. On behalf of the businesses of Kerry I want to say they are under so much pressure. We have ever-increasing energy costs, rates are going up to an enormous cost and labour is expensive. They are finding it very difficult to continue after Covid. I am pleading with the Minister. I thank the Government for the Covid supports. They were very important. Now people in business are finding it harder than ever before. We have to promote business. We have to support it in every way we can. We must always remember there is no better place in the world for tourism than County Kerry and that is a known fact.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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After Galway that is.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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Maith an bhean.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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We will not fight about it.

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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And of course west Cork. I am glad to have an opportunity to speak about the Bill. I met the Minister several years ago in Ballydehob. I hope she enjoyed her break in west Cork at the time. A holiday in west Cork is a unique tourism experience. We have places such as Kinsale, Clonakilty, Bantry, the Beara Peninsula, Baltimore, Union Hall, Schull, Skibbereen and the stunning islands. We have Dursey Island, Bere Island, Whiddy Island, Long Island, Sherkin Island, Cape Island and Hare Island. It is a unique experience.

I met people from the hotel sector just before the budget and I have spoken to them since the budget. I plead with the Minister to concentrate very strongly on this area. There are many very successful hotels in west Cork, such as the Celtic Ross Hotel, the Fernhill House Hotel, the Emmet Hotel, O'Donovan's Hotel in Clonakilty, the West Cork Hotel in Skibbereen, the Westlodge in Bantry and the Schull Harbour Hotel to name a few. If the VAT rate goes from 9% to 13.5% next year it will have a devastating effect on these hotels and the hotel sector. This is also the case for the tourism sector.

These hotels are top class. They have not cashed in. They have not increased their prices over the years. They have been loyal. Most of them are family-run hotels. They told me the VAT rate going from 13.5% to 9% could be the difference between some of them working in their hotels for free and not making any income to keep the door open. This cannot be allowed to happen. They have to live. These hotels, whether they are on Mizen Head or in Bantry, Clonakilty or Kinsale, have to survive. The difference between 9% and 13.5% could be the difference in survival. I ask the Minister to work on it. I know she has to fight her corner at the Cabinet table. There are many hotels and I have named only a few of them that would be in serious trouble. They told me about the energy costs with the price of electricity and oil going out of control. They said they would not even apply for a solar panel given the complications. They would put it in and pay for it themselves if it would help to bring down the energy costs. There is very little between the door staying open and the door closing. Some hotels in west Cork are shut three or four days a week which is quite serious. This is because it is a difficult area and a very difficult time.

I mentioned the Celtic Ross Hotel and I congratulate all the chefs who will graduate on Friday. They are involved in a new west Cork chef academy training programme in conjunction with Cork Education and Training Board. I wish them the best of luck.

Another area in the tourism sector is the pub sector, which has been forgotten about. If we are selling west Cork or anywhere the pub tends to be a place for people to go. I speak to a lot of publicans and I do a lot of clinics in public houses over the weekends. I meet a lot of publicans and I speak to them. Many of them are struggling. They are also wondering whether they can keep the doors open. Recently I was in a public house when the electricity bill was being opened. It had increased from €700 to €2,300 or €2,400. There was a gasp when it was opened. There was also a gasp from the other side of the bar where I was drinking a cup of tea. I was concerned as to whether they can keep the doors open. It is a massive struggle and an area that has probably been forgotten.

We recently spoke about nightclubs and applications for licences. The fees have been cut and this will save a few hundred euro. One time there were seven or eight nightclubs in west Cork and I do not think there are any now. I asked my children and they told me there is no nightclub at the weekends. When we were young there were six or seven to choose from. We used to wonder whether we would go left, right, east, west, south or north. We had Clonakilty, Skibbereen and Bantry. There was a huge number of choices.

Walking has been a brilliant success in west Cork with the Sheep's Head Way and the Beara Way. While progress has been made on the Mizen way proper compensation for farmers must come into play.

I want to speak about visitor centres. I could be here for a week talking about tourism. The Michael Collins visitor centre on the Timoleague road is outstanding. I hope it can be further developed. It was a great year for Michael Collins. I thank Tim and Dolores Crowley who run a very informative centre where people will get information with 100% perfection on the history of Michael Collins. Tourism offices need to be looked at. I plead that they be independently funded through the Minister's Department.

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent)
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Last week I mentioned in the Dáil that we may not have places for tourists in this country next year. Figures from Fáilte Ireland for 2019 show international and Irish tourist yielded an estimated €9.5 billion. Tourism gives employment to 270,000 people. The industry must be supported and protected. A total of 70% of these jobs are outside Dublin. Tourism is a huge regional employer. It provides employment for students and there are spin-offs for local retailers, suppliers and the agri-marine community.

While there was a great rebound in 2022 the industry is very nervous of the winter ahead. The escalating costs, hyperinflation and economic slowdown are not helping. The VAT rate must be retained at 9%. We need to stay in line with our European neighbours to remain competitive.

According to the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation 75% of Ireland's tourism economy is made up of international tourists. Affordable access to our country through air and sea is vital as we are an island nation. Support for our airports in a meaningful way is critical to this end. Dublin Airport had 86% of the country's passengers in 2019. All other airports in the whole of Ireland had only 14% of the passengers. The spare capacity at State airports such as Shannon Airport needs to be utilised. This would not only alleviate the congestion in Dublin Airport but also benefit the local economy and the entire economy of the country. Shannon Airport is an underutilised resource. Will anyone here explain the reason for the imbalance if the current trend continues? Will the Minister explain this to me? Ireland is unique with the concentration of traffic into one dominant airport, which is Dublin Airport. This is something the Minister can take back to the Cabinet. Throughout Europe no other national airport accounts for such a high proportion of traffic. In the whole of Europe, where the Government goes to listen, Ireland is the only place where most of the traffic goes through the national airport even though we have alternatives.

There are huge concerns about our accommodation crisis for Ukrainians and asylum seekers in the season ahead. Hotels and guest houses cannot be the only solution as otherwise we will not have the capacity for the tourism sector. The Government needs alternatives to hotels in our tourist areas to meet the accommodation demand.

I have just said that 70% of tourism goes through the hotels in Ireland. When I leave Limerick city I go through Patrickswell to Adare, which has Fitzgerald's Woodlands House Hotel and the Dunraven Arms Hotel.

If I head west, I have the Rathkeale House Hotel on to Longcourt House Hotel in Newcastlewest and Leens Hotel in Abbeyfeale. If I turn east and head towards Kilmallock, I have Deebert House Hotel as well as all the hostels, bed and breakfast accommodation, and different accommodation centres around the country. However, the exchange rate for the dollar has never been as good for American and other tourists coming to this country, which makes it affordable for them to do so. I am conscious of where we are going to put them if we do not have alternatives. Not only that, it will have a knock-on effect on all the shops used by tourists, such as bike shops and coffee shops, and all the knick-knacks supplied around the country.

Members have talked about other counties. They have to travel through Limerick to get to most of them and, therefore, I believe Limerick is the best county in Ireland for anyone to start off and they can go to the other tourist destinations thereafter.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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Limerick, you’re a lady. The competition is on.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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It is like a game of name the hotels.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I thought it was name the counties.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Name the towns.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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The House will hear many references to west Cork in the next seven minutes. I am informed there is a drinking game: any time I mention "west Cork" during my Dáil contributions, a drink should be taken.

I welcome the Bill and the provision of funding, and I say "Well done" to the Minister for all the work she is doing in this regard. I want to be parochial, like everyone else, and talk about west Cork. Everyone, or certainly those who live there, knows how wonderful west Cork is and I am sure the Minister is tired of hearing this but I know she is a fan of the entire area. From a marketing and branding point of view and trying to sell the regions internationally, west Cork is often overlooked. The recent €1 million campaign by Tourism Ireland aimed at marketing Ireland in the US is very much focused on Shannon and County Clare, but there is a missed opportunity in that regard. I understand the rationale in that Shannon Airport has transatlantic flights, but we have had this debate previously about where the gateway to the Wild Atlantic Way is. Efforts were made by Fáilte Ireland to brand Killarney as the gateway, which we debated and contested because it is clear that the most obvious gateway to or starting point of the Wild Atlantic Way is Kinsale and west Cork. There are some good and obvious reasons for this, first of which is Cork Airport. I commend management at the airport who are ramping up efforts to increase connectivity and the number of flights to what is repeatedly regarded as the best and easiest to use airport in Ireland, as well as one of the easiest to use in Europe. It has a fantastic brand-new runway, which required the airport to close recently. That runway is capable of taking transatlantic flights and I would love the Minister's Department, in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, to help the management of Cork Airport in their efforts to secure transatlantic flights so we can market the real gateway to the Wild Atlantic Way, which is west Cork.

West Cork is the obvious start to the Wild Atlantic Way. Nowhere else boasts beautiful headlands such as the Old Head of Kinsale, where theLusitaniacommemoration is, or the stunning seaside villages like Courtmacsherry, and Clonakillty with its nearby beaches and heritage, as well as Skibbereen, Glandore, Union Hall, and the Beara and Mizen peninsulas. I could go on. The product is there. It does not need further development and it just needs to be sold internationally.

I would love to see a concerted effort over the winter and into the spring to market and promote our regions. I acknowledge an effort will be made but it has to be concerted because something has happened over the past two years, of which I am sure the Minister will be aware. The months of July, August and September 2021 generated a bumper season for the regions, including west Cork, Kerry and along the western seaboard. This was because we were in a pandemic and people were discovering parts of Ireland they had not discovered before. As overseas travel was not an option, people were discovering places such as west Cork, Waterford, Wexford, Galway, Clare - you name it - and they loved it. Talking to the industry, hoteliers, café owners, and people involved with amenities, they say it was a bumper year. However, for the same period this year, there was a definite drop-off. In many ways, it can be explained by the fact we had a bit of a passport crisis, with approximately 1.6 million passport applications being made. There was pent-up demand for travel and we cannot blame people for that, but it means we need to make a concerted effort to attract people back to the regions, both in the context of domestic tourism where we remind people of the amazing scenery they saw and experiences they had in the summer of 2021, and internationally, where we remind the world of what an amazing place Ireland is, particularly those regional areas, with a focus on west Cork. That strategy needs to be put in place for the winter and spring.

I support the calls in the debate to retain the 9% VAT rate, and I noticed the word "review" may have been used in the budget. I do not want to be disingenuous and give people a false sense of hope, but there is an opportunity to review that decision, especially in light of spiralling energy costs. It does not only affect hotels. We are all contacted by hoteliers, but cafés and small business owners are under pressure too when it comes to energy bills. We need to make Ireland competitive internationally. Now that people can travel again and international flights are back on the agenda, it is about making us competitive internationally. We saw what happened mainly in Dublin. I underline the calls made not to paint everyone with the same brush. West Cork and the regions did not experience the same price hikes. Prices remained stable and competitive as opposed to what we witnessed in Dublin with hotel rates of €400 and €500 per night. That has to be recognised. The Minister fought hard to get the 9% VAT rate in the first place, and she is to be commended on that, but I urge her to continue that fight when it is proposed to revert the VAT rate to 13.5% early next year.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute on the Bill. I commend the work of Fáilte Ireland, but I want to say to the Members from rural Ireland, some of whom spoke before me, that I am not certain of the benefit of a ramble around their own county, listing bed and breakfast accommodation, because I do not know how many international tourists tune in here to get their travel advice. I am sure if they did, it would be beneficial to them but perhaps their time could be better utilised, although that is a matter for themselves.

I commend the work of Fáilte Ireland on the establishment of the employer excellence programme, which seeks to support businesses to drive great employee engagement and continuously build the appeal of their workplace is a welcome one. It is clear there are serious issues within the sector in attracting and retaining staff. This attempt to help the sector reposition itself as an appealing and rewarding place to work, in the highly competitive labour market is welcome. It reminds me of a campaign run by my former employer, SIPTU, and other unions - the Fair Hotels campaign.

One of the things we noticed at the time was that people want to stay, engage, eat, drink and socialise in places where workers are treated with decency and respect. It is not always about the bottom line for the consumer, although very often it is. The two should not be put in competition with each other; decent wages should not compete with affordable experiences.

Many in the sector have scoffed at the employer excellence plan. They are the ones who want to use the employment permit system to hire from outside Ireland, the EU, the EEA, Britain and Switzerland. If workers cannot be attracted from such a massive pool, then to my mind the problem has to be pay and conditions in the sector. Sinn Féin totally opposes any moves to open up the possibility of an exploitative employment model in the tourism and hospitality industry which is neither an ethical nor sustainable solution for the sector. We know from countless pieces of academic research and data from the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, that there are issues in regard to the treatment of workers in the sector.

Dr. Deirdre Curran of NUIG recently appeared before Oireachtas committees to relay the findings of her research, which found that 70% of the workers she surveyed did not get a Sunday premium, 63% witnessed or experienced bullying, 55% witnessed or experienced harassment, 43% did not have a proper contract of employment, 77% experienced verbal abuse sometimes or often, and 64% experienced psychological abuse and 52% did not get their entitlement to rest breaks. This is backed up by data from the WRC, which told us in its 2020 report that 24% of hotels, 27% of beverage service activities and 32% of food service activities were found to be in breach of employment rights. Almost €500,000 of unpaid wages was recovered for these categories. Therefore, while we welcome the employer excellence programme, the reality is, and the facts bear this out, that what is really needed is trade union recognition, collective bargaining and rights for trade unions to organise.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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As a rural Deputy, I thank Deputy O'Reilly for her advice on how I should spend my time. Notwithstanding her advice, I wish to raise the ongoing controversy regarding Shannon Heritage sites. There is a difficulty at a national level in that they fall between a number of different Departments. It seems to me that the issue of what is going to happen to them is being shuttled between various Departments, with very few concrete decisions having been made to date. If I am wrong on that, I would be delighted to receive confirmation that a decision has been made.

Shannon Heritage is a component part of the recently renamed Shannon Airport Group. It has three component parts, namely, the airport, Shannon Commercial Properties and Shannon Heritage, which comprises the former Shannon development sites which are tourist attractions in Clare and throughout the mid-west. These sites include Bunratty Castle, Craggaunowen Castle and Knappogue Castle in County Clare, Dunguaire Castle in Galway Bay, which is in County Galway, and King John's Castle in Limerick, which was always under the ownership of the old Limerick Corporation and its successor-in-title, Limerick City and County Council.

When Shannon Heritage was part of the Shannon Group in 2019, there were proposals for a rather large investment in the sites, in particular Bunratty Castle. I note The Irish Timesran with a figure of €8 million and I had heard €10 million was to be invested. It was to be a joint investment by the Shannon Group on the one hand and Fáilte Ireland on the other. There is a tacit acknowledgement that there is a need for capital investment in Bunratty Castle. I understand Fáilte Ireland had agreed in principle, at least, to obtain an application for the investment. My understanding is that it was pretty much agreed that it would proceed. Covid intervened of course. The Shannon Group's finances were greatly affected by Covid, as Shannon Airport is one of its component parts. Like other airports in the State it was devastated, perhaps even more than other airports, due to the tendency of airlines to concentrate their activities in the major hubs which, in the Irish context, for now at least, is Dublin Airport.

As Shannon Heritage seeks to find a home for itself, given that Shannon Airport Group does not seem to have any great interest in it and is seeking to divest itself of the Shannon Heritage site, Clare County Council expressed an interest in it. In general terms, I have reservations about county councils running tourism businesses. However, it should be said that Clare County Council is already running the Cliffs of Moher site very effectively. It has a large number of visitors and is a huge tourist attraction. If I am not mistaken, it is the second biggest tourism attraction after the Guinness Hop Store. It is successful in that regard. The county council has worked to develop the Vandeleur Walled Gardens, which is part of the Vandeleur estate in west Clare, as well as Loop Head.

The problem is that a large number of people fly to Dublin Airport because in Ireland all roads lead to Dublin. Everybody flies into Dublin Airport and then gets a bus to the Cliffs of Moher for a day and a bus back to Dublin. Apart from the carbon footprint that involves, it also results in a concentration of activity around the Cliffs of Moher and not enough footfall in the rest of County Clare. If only on that basis, whoever is running the Cliffs of Moher would be an ideal person to run these sites. The track record of Clare County Council means I would support its interest in acquiring the sites, notwithstanding my general reservations about county councils running tourism sites.

The primary focus of county councils should be on providing local government services. There is an increasing tendency of national government to strip those services away from them, whether it is in planning and the degree of autonomy councils once enjoyed being eroded by recent developments in that regard or Irish Water and water services. Employees of Clare County Council who work in the water services division are, like those in every other county council in the country, wondering what is going to happen and who they are going to work for next.

We are here to talk about the Bunratty sites. There are many workers there who are also wondering who they will work for next, what their status will be and what will happen to their careers. A number of those staff are extremely dedicated. Any I have met are very dedicated to these sites and have worked in them all of their lives. The political pass-the-potato is unhelpful. The Minister might ask what this has to do with her Department. She may or may not be aware, but I hope she is, that I recently sent her a copy of a letter I sent the Taoiseach to ask that somebody be appointed to head this up. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, heads the Department of Transport, and Shannon Group falls within that Department. Clare County Council is under the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, headed by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. The Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, has line responsibility for Fáilte Ireland which had already agreed in principle that a large investment in Bunratty was appropriate.

The issue is now the funding of the transfer. Fáilte Ireland and, I believe, Shannon Heritage have accepted the capital investment is required in these sites, in particular in Bunratty but perhaps also the other sites. If the money was forthcoming in 2019 for a capital investment to bring it up to the required standard, one of the fears of Clare County Council is that if it takes it over, it would have to put significant capital investment into it. Why is it not being transferred with the benefit of that funding? Can the Minister confirm that the Fáilte Ireland funding is still available?

I see no reason that Shannon Airport should not have to invest the sum of money it previously proposed to invest. If it wishes to divest itself of the site, perhaps it needs to divest itself of some of the money that would be required to bring it up to the necessary standard and put up that money by way of the capital investment that Clare County Council is to require. I have asked other Ministers questions and have received various responses to the effect that it should get on with it and that things are not over. The one-liners are wearing a bit thin. I am getting a bit tired of them. I can only imagine what the staff of Shannon Heritage are feeling at the moment as their livelihoods are dependent on this.

I can also only imagine what the broader tourism sector in Clare is feeling when we talk about all of our attractions. I did not hear all of the contributions but I heard Deputy Kelly's and I have to agree with him as somebody who is on the other side of Lough Derg. Clare County Council is talking about a very significant investment in Inis Cealtra, Holy Island, which I welcome. Bunratty Castle is a national site everyone knows. It has been very heavily promoted over the years and it is kind of important to our tourism sector, or at least it should be. Allowing this issue to linger is not beneficial.

I support the Bill that the Minister is putting before the House because it is about investment and it would be slightly hypocritical of me to call for the investment that Fáilte Ireland said it was prepared to make in Shannon Airport and vote against providing the funding that is required to do so. I ask the Minister, even if she would not be very popular for doing so, to raise this at Cabinet as one of the four line Ministers with the Taoiseach and the Ministers for Transport and Housing, Local Government and Heritage. They have some responsibility towards Bunratty Castle to make sure that we do not enter another tourism season with that degree of uncertainty hanging over it and other such sites.

I support the Minister's Bill and I acknowledge the necessity to invest in Fáilte Ireland in order that it has sufficient funding to provide the capital investment required in all sorts of sites across the country, including the Shannon heritage sites.

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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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.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I am glad to get the opportunity to talk on this very important topic. I welcome anything that would help tourism in the country and, indeed, in Kerry. All of us are privileged to be elected to this Chamber to represent the people who elected us from whatever part of the country. However, I feel that being a Deputy from Kerry, I have an advantage because I am representing the best county in the country and in the world as far as tourism is concerned, because as has been said before Kerry is the tourism capital of the world.

Whether one meets someone from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Kansas or wherever, they all know about Kerry and they know about Killarney. We have that advantage but we cannot stand still. We need to advertise, emphasise and tell the people. We need to treat the people who come today properly and hospitality in Kerry does just that whether one is in Killarney, Ballybunion, Dingle, Kenmare or Cahersiveen. We have hotels, guesthouses and pubs and we do it very well.

I thank all the owners, proprietors and managers and the workers for the extra care they take of the visitors who come to Kerry, because they know what it is about in that if one does a good job, one will reap the rewards because people will come back. That is what we wish to ensure. We also thank the coach operators who had such a tough time over the past two or three years, for the way they do their job and treat the people who travel with them so well.

We have restaurants, cafes and pubs and we have the INEC events centre in Killarney which is second to none.

It is a town within a town given what it offers. Last Saturday night, the Kilfenora Céilí Band was playing in one part of it and Gina and the Champions in another. It just shows in the middle of October what kinds of attractions are being provided. Bing Crosby, the famous crooner, said when he sung of Killarney, and it was the same of Kerry, that day-time or night-time, he liked to be there. We are very proud of Kerry and all it does.

Tourism is so important. I am sad that Airbnbs are going to be blown out of it. People are concerned their incomes will be nullified because of what is happening. These people provided a type of accommodation that was needed for people who could only spend so much on it. They were providing an excellent service. I worry for the Killarney electoral area. As it is a rent pressure zone, it is being said that people can no longer advertise Airbnb accommodation, which will have a disastrous effect on Killarney and County Kerry in general.

I am also worried because so much of our hotel and guesthouse accommodation taken up by refugees. While we want to see after those who are there, there must be a cap put on the numbers. We cannot see after the refugees we have already and we cannot see after our own people. If take the social welfare offices and the doctors, there is more to seeing after these refugees and asylum seekers than just putting them into a bed and putting a roof over their heads. There is so much more involved and we need to have a proper debate in this Chamber on the number of refugees and asylum seekers we are accepting because in Killarney we are full. That is the word that is coming back from there.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy. We are over time.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I work for those from every nationality, back over the years since I began as a councillor.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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We are over time.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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The time has come that we must look at what we are doing because we have enough at the present time.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabhail leis na Teachtaí go léir a labhair sa díospóireacht seo agus a chuir a dtuairimí faoi fhorbairt fhoriomlán thurasóireacht na hÉireann in iúl. I thank all the Deputies who contributed to the debate and offered their views on the overall development of Irish tourism. It is proof of the importance of the industry, which reaches into all parts of the country, both rural and urban. Many of them have been named in the last 30 minutes in particular. Tourism is a valuable source of employment for many thousands of people. I have no issue with towns, communities and regions. If there was ever an appropriate moment to name our areas, it is during a debate on tourism, so it is to be welcomed. There is no time for me to name all the places in Dublin Rathdown and County Monaghan so I will not elaborate.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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Paddy Kavanagh looked after that.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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As I said, the last two years have been most challenging for the tourism sector and we are facing into another demanding year with cost inflation and rising energy prices.

Many issues have been raised during this debate. I do not know if ten minutes will suffice to address them but I will attempt to do so. If I do not respond to any Deputy, I will ask my officials to follow up.

Deputies Christopher O'Sullivan and Nolan raised regional development, which is at the heart of Fáilte Ireland's remit. The organisation has created four regional brands, namely, Ireland's Hidden Heartlands, Dublin, Ireland's Ancient East and the Wild Atlantic Way. To guide medium to longer range development, I understand Fáilte Ireland aims to deliver four new regional tourism strategies in 2022. These will set out a ten-year vision and five-year action plan for each region. At a more local level, these four regional tourism strategies will be activated through a series of co-ordinated local destination and experience development plans developed by Fáilte Ireland in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders. Fáilte Ireland's focus on promoting the regions has included significant investment into brand-building through individual Keep Discovering campaigns for each of the four regional experience brands as well as media, publicity, digital channels and online sales platforms, and that will continue. Looking forward to 2023, Fáilte Ireland will continue to focus on building the regional brand. It will encourage domestic visitors to visit destinations across the country and through online booking and sales and marketing supports, it will work with the local industry.

Deputy Gannon spoke about the development of Dublin as a brand. The Dublin Regional Tourism Development Strategy 2023-27 is the roadmap for the tourism industry and all stakeholders involved in tourism in the region to navigate the current challenges and steer a course towards sustainable recovery and continued success. Over the course of this strategy, in addition to the activation of the Dublin coastal trail and the ongoing implementation of the docklands destination experience development plan, two other DEDPs will be developed, namely, the Dublin City DEDP starting in 2022 and the mountains DEDP commencing in 2023.

The night-time economy was also raised by Deputy Gannon and also Deputy Shanahan. It will continue to be supported and developed. That change is coming. Deputy Gannon asked when we will dance again and my answer is we will be dancing more often and much later into the night. That is the plan but the sector needs to be supported and that is why we got €6 million in the budget for the night-time economy and also €7 million in additional capital funding for artists' spaces and climate adaptation.

Deputy Gannon also spoke about joined-up thinking. The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, and I hosted a meeting before the summer recess attended by officials from my Department, the Departments of Transport and Housing, Local Government and Heritage, as well as representatives from the Garda, vintners' organisations, Give Us the Night and residents' associations. There is, therefore, joined-up thinking on the development of the night-time economy.

Deputy Gould referred to the flooding in Cork. I will raise that issue with my Government colleagues and refer his suggestions on Shandon and Cork city to Fáilte Ireland for further consideration.

I agree wholeheartedly with Deputies Griffin and Dillon on the value of our greenways. Other Deputies referred to them as well.

Deputies Carey and McNamara spoke about Shannon Heritage. I am aware of the proposed transfer of properties, including Bunratty Castle, from Shannon Heritage to Clare County Council. My officials are participating in an independent group, chaired by the Department of Transport, which is examining the issue. While I am of course supportive of any initiative to enhance tourism options in the area, this is ultimately a matter for the Minister for Transport. I will be happy, as requested, to speak to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien.

Deputy Carey raised the Gathering, which made me think of the other programme for Government commitment. While the tourism sector continues to emerge from the impact of Covid, we will help with further recovery and rebuilding. The programme for Government includes a commitment to introduce a new tourism initiative to aid recovery in the sector. This initiative will seek to promote and build on the warmth of our welcome, the beauty of our landscape and the richness of our culture. I secured a €5 million allocation in the most recent budget to continue the development of the invitation initiative which provides an excellent opportunity to advance the recovery in multiple sectors that have been significantly impacted by Covid. I hope to bring proposals to the Government in the near future outlining my full ambition for the project and providing further detail on the work under way.

Deputies Nolan and Kelly raised Ireland's Hidden Heartlands. Since its launch in 2018, Fáilte Ireland has been working with the local authorities, other State agencies such as Tourism Ireland and the tourism industry to raise awareness of the new Hidden Heartlands brand and to grow the visitor economy. Tourism Ireland promotes the Hidden Heartlands directly to overseas visitors and the region now features prominently on the Ireland.comwebsite. The local authorities are key partners and Fáilte Ireland has been building partnerships with Waterways Ireland, Coillte, Bord na Móna and the Office of Public Works to optimise the tourism potential of their natural and heritage assets in a sustainable manner. Recent highlights included the launch of the tourism master plan for the Shannon, which saw €2.3 million invested by Fáilte Ireland in two new projects last year alone.

7 o’clock

Some €3.9 million was invested in the revamped National Famine Museum in Strokestown Park, which I had the honour to open last week.

Deputy Shanahan raised issues regarding docking. I think that is a matter for the Minister for Transport and his officials. In response to Deputy Dillon, I know Fáilte Ireland is very active in Mayo. The Deputy referred to a number of projects. Fáilte Ireland will continue to focus on their continued development. Deputy Paul Donnelly raised a specific issue which I will ask my officials to raise with Fáilte Ireland. That might be under the remit of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Deputy Tóibín raised Moore Street, which is also a matter for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, since these are heritage functions. I will raise the issues Deputy Tóibín brought up during this debate with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan. In response to Deputy Shanahan, two sites, Ardmore and Tramore, have been selected under Platforms for Growth 2. I will ask my officials to raise any issues regarding accessibility and inclusivity with Fáilte Ireland. I will ask my officials to discuss with Fáilte Ireland the issues that Deputy Mattie McGrath raised during the debate.

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae did fine promotion of the Killorglin area, Killarney and the entire region of Kerry. He was followed by Deputies Michael Collins, Christopher O'Sullivan, Danny Healy-Rae, Mattie McGrath and Carol Nolan. A plethora of fantastic promotion of Ireland was captured in the debate. Well done to the Deputies. The sentiment, as mentioned by Deputy Danny Healy-Rae, is that once visitors see what we have to offer, eat our food, meet the people, hear the music and see us dance, they will come back. That is why marketing is important. I am pleased to inform Deputy Munster that support of almost €500,000 was awarded to Louth County Council for the Drogheda destination town plan to implement an access and orientation plan. Regarding the Drogheda attraction of scale, the Ancient Destination Experience Development Plan identifies Drogheda as a key urban gateway to the ancient story of the Boyne Valley with the potential to be a tourism destination of scale. The project addresses the need for a sustainable world class visitor attraction to act as a catalyst to increase visitor footfall.

Deputy Tóibín, as well as maybe Deputies Ó Murchú and Munster, talked about the Boyne Valley too and the reimagined Boyne Valley drive. That is a catalyst project in the implementation of the Ancient Destination Experience Development Plan. It involves reviewing and reimagining the Boyne Valley drive. That project roadmap is completed and includes an action plan for delivery. Its key output is the reimagined Boyne Valley drive.

I told the Leas-Cheann Comhairle I would not get through all of the issues raised. I have noted them and we will get back to all Deputies about the numerous issues. Numerous Deputies mentioned the VAT rate. I am conscious that the reduced VAT rate has been an important element of the business supports secured for the tourism and hospitality sector in the last two years. The Government will continue to monitor tourism recovery and keep all supports, including the VAT rate, under review in that context. I am acutely aware of the incredible pressure that these businesses face.