Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit – perhaps I should say "Céad míle fáilte", as we are discussing tourism. I warmly welcome the report of the review group, particularly the subtitle, "An agenda for action", which is very appropriate. The last thing we need is another report to join a plethora of earlier reports already in a cul-de-sac. However, this one is exceptionally impressive, very honest and open, giving an up-to-date view of the position of the industry and the views of our customers.

As the report rightly points out, our core appeal as a tourist destination is characterised by people, pace and place. We have benefited particularly well from those ingredients. In both the State and private sectors of the industry, we are fortunate that we made hay while the sun shone and built a very good foundation. It is good for a small country to be in a position to boast of an annual growth rate of 7% in tourism when the global rate was only about 4.3%. That is very much in our favour. Due to that strong foundation, it was possible for us to withstand some of the great challenges which came our way, such as the SARS epidemic, the foot and mouth disease crisis, international uncertainties and so on. Even though the prophets of doom suggested that 2003 would be a disastrous year, the initial figures from the regions clearly show it was not a disaster. We stood the test of time particularly well.