Seanad debates
Wednesday, 3 December 2003
Order of Business. - Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Powers and Functions) Bill 2003: Second Stage.
We must be careful to avoid looking at these places as theme parks. They are not places which are to be allowed to grow at the discretion of people who do not have to live there. Growth must be allowed to take place. Nobody is more conscious of the need to manage that growth in a way that prevents it from destroying the very thing which is creating it than the islanders themselves. I have seen that time and again. On Inis Mór, I witnessed the huge effort which has been made to upgrade the product to avoid attracting tourists who would prove a liability in the long term. It is sought to get more bed nights and to provide better facilities on the island. Ragus, for example, represents an attempt to show traditional Irish culture to the people who visit the island rather than to simply attract people to drink in pubs. The island is trying to avoid the mistakes of the Isle of Man which attracted the wrong type of tourist in the 1960s. The islanders know that their long-term interest is served by good quality tourism and a good quality product.
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