Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

The Minister's statement to the House this evening gave us an indication of the affluent base that we are now looking at. This has its own impact on tourism. If one looks back at the tourism industry in the 1950s, 1960s and even into the 1970s, it was totally different. It was more folksy and much of the tourism trade that Ireland received at that time was largely from Irish-Americans. They felt an affinity with and loyalty to Ireland. To some extent, they regarded visiting Ireland as returning home and making a contribution to the Irish economy rather than as just a holiday.

In the years since then, we have become a very sophisticated country in many ways. Our infrastructure has changed and developed at a cost to both the State and private investors. The standards that have been achieved in our tourism industry are in many ways the envy of other countries. How many countries have sent delegations to Ireland over the years to study our tourism industry?

On many occasions, the tourism industry was regarded as the jewel in the crown of the Irish economy. The industry was met with many challenges during that time, whether they were international affairs, a US presidential election, the foot and mouth crisis or the Troubles. When one travelled abroad and talked to local people, one realised that attracting tourists to Ireland on a loyalty basis was not as easy as it had once been. One had to attract them for other reasons. However, if one looks at the status of Ireland internationally from sports, arts and other perspectives, it is now ranked among the largest countries in the world in terms of recognition even though it is a very small nation. This can be a marketing tool as borne out by the amount of exposure Ireland gained from hosting the Eurovision Song Contest.

Nevertheless, all of these achievements cost money and someone has to foot the bill. Very often, it is the private investor, as well as the State, who has to pay. It is a matter of finding out whether we are getting value for money and comparing like with like. It makes no sense to compare different things. I have heard cases of people having a meal in a five-star hotel and stating that the meal would be much cheaper in the United States. However, they may be comparing the meal with a meal at a fast food outlet or a meal in a bar. I would ask them to compare it with the meals they can get in Irish pubs and the value of that. A high quality single course meal in many Irish pubs will only set a person back €8 or €9. This is the type of comparison that must be made.

The days of family-run hotels are virtually gone. Like the religious orders running schools, running a hotel for these people was a vocation. They enjoyed the work and did not mind working long hours. It now has to be worth people's time to work in the tourism industry because unemployment levels are so low, at approximately4%. People have a selection of jobs they can enter, which must be paid for.

We must ask whether we are prepared to lower standards in order to lower prices. We all know there will be a certain amount of people who will exploit situations but I think they are in a minority. I could be generalising slightly but most people I have met in the tourism industry are very committed, particularly if they are the owners of product. They are anxious to make the best presentation. How many times have Irish people apologised to tourists for our bad weather to be met with the reply that they did not come here for the weather, rather they came for the people.

If one looks back at one of the major surveys that examined the preference of tourists, 67% said that the top attraction for them was national monuments. A survey was conducted recently on national monuments, many of which are saturated with tourists. A recent report recommended that there should be a cut-off point with regard to the number of visitors to the Rock of Cashel, which receives approximately 250,000 visitors per year, because the rock is being damaged. The same applies to Muckross House and possibly to Kilkenny Castle. It appears that there are at least four national monuments where tourist numbers are at saturation point. This finding does not indicate that the product is not being used. However, there are many other national monument attractions, many of which can be visited for free or for €3 or €4.

I accept that food and accommodation are important considerations for tourists but there are many competitively priced attractions in Ireland. I do not wish to disregard the index or the survey that we were discussing but I accept the Minister's point. I do not believe the survey is very scientific because of the number of countries surveyed and the survey method, which involved the use of shopping baskets. If that is a fair indicator, why are tourist figures rising? Why do we see figures of 5% or 6% even in the most challenging times for tourism?

We need to be careful that we do not shoot ourselves in the foot. There is always the danger that we will overemphasise one of our negative aspects. This is acceptable if it is done within a controlled situation like a board meeting, a committee or tourism agencies, but if it is done outside, it can generate negative publicity about the country and deter possible visitors. No business in a competitive world would begin by undermining itself. This does not mean that we should not examine faults and difficulties; we should do so. I agree with Senator Daly that there are areas that need support.

Bed and breakfast establishments need support, an issue that is commonly ignored. Over the years, some of the best value could be found in bed and breakfasts. These establishments were located throughout the country. Many people invested both time and service in them. I do not think huge profits were ever made out of bed and breakfasts but a way needs to be found to help them.

When the Convention Bureau of Ireland and Dublin Tourism — two organisations I would praise — came before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, I made the point that Dublin is saturated with tourists. I do not think it is good for people living in Dublin and tourists. Dublin Tourism and the Convention Bureau of Ireland should not be blamed for this state of affairs, rather we should look at the tour operators. Why have they changed their practice and begun to ignore the rest of Ireland? We need to examine the reasons behind this change of mind on the part of tour operators. There are people who do not regard the capital city as "Ireland". It is an important experience but should not be the totality of people's experiences. We must get back to basics and examine why these changes have taken place.