Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire freisin. Senator Buttimer made a great case for Cork as the tourism capital of Ireland. An important thing to remember is that possibly every parish could make the same claim. That was the point the Minister was making in his address.

I live in Cashel and can look out right across the Rock of Cashel. For me, it symbolises our great heritage and indicates the respect for that heritage in the minds of discerning tourists who come to Ireland. The best way to sell one's country is to bring what one has and others do not have to the attention of people. If one has something that is exclusive, there is a very good possibility that one will be able to compete in what has become a very competitive market in every sense of the word.

It might be no harm to look back on the development of tourism in Ireland. Dr. Brendan O'Regan, who was a great tourist advocate and activist, died recently. I remember meeting him in the context of Shannon development, Bunratty Castle and all the development at that particular time. He had a fantastic vision but was able to put it into action at a time when tourism was not centre stage anywhere in the world. The work done by Bord Fáilte back in those days was exceptional because the same resources did not exist as perhaps exist today. However, it showed great enthusiasm and commitment. Every official of Bord Fáilte one would meet when he or she travelled to one's area would inspire one to reflect on the strength of one's region and what was required to promote it in the marketplace.

Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland are doing an excellent job. The point was made about Tourism Ireland marketing the whole island. I recall meeting people during my visits to America at the height of the Troubles who were not familiar with Ireland or its geography. We might have been in the middle of a big tourism marketing campaign when an incident occurred in the North which derailed that campaign. Many people there did not know the difference between the North and the South. They thought Ireland was a war-torn island. Despite that, Bord Fáilte was able to maintain the vibrancy of our tourism industry.

We are living in a new era now and the whole island is being marketed. It did not make sense to market a part of the island and for the rest of the island not to be part of our focus. When I was in New York in the past three weeks I had a chat with Mr. Joe Byrne in the Tourism Ireland office. I was inspired by his confidence about the industry, even for this year. There is great confidence about it among people there. I can understand the reason for that. The Minister said that the last major global survey places Ireland on top when it comes to friendliness and friendship. I always thought that was our strength. I knew the necessary infrastructure was required but I always believed that the fuel in the engine was our friendliness. When one talks to people who have visited Ireland, they all comment on the friendliness of the Irish people. That is possibly in some ways exclusive to ourselves or if not, it is certainly very much part of what we have to offer. I hope that will never change and I genuinely do not believe it will. It is characteristic of us to want to be with people. Hospitality is inherent in our nature. If that hospitality exists as well as the commercial side of tourism, we will do well.

We get the name sometimes of pricing ourselves out of the market, but people often do not compare like with like. People will sometimes compare the price of a meal in McDonald's in New York with that of one in a five star restaurant in Ireland. If one were to go for a meal to a five star restaurant in America or any other country, one would realise what one would have to pay for it. If there is unnecessary overcharging, it should be examined. However, I would not like there to be a lowering of standards here. Our standards today, be they in hotels, restaurants or pubs, are exceptional. In many ways other countries cannot compare with them.

I have one sad commentary to make about tourist accommodation, namely, the future of bed and breakfast accommodation. They were ideal in the smaller areas where there were no hotels or other such infrastructure. They accommodated people who wished to visit attractions in those areas. Unfortunately, given the increase in bureaucracy, overheads and health and safety issues — I am not saying this in a critical manner — bed and breakfast establishments find it difficult to cope. While I do not have statistics on this, I would be surprised if not more than a third of them have gone out of business in recent years. That is a shame because I believe the wheel will come full circle again. Even the hotels are beginning to compete in price with bed and breakfast establishments, which makes it difficult for those establishments. However, they still offer the attraction of interaction with a community. Some people will still want to visit in Ireland, stay in a bed and breakfast establishment, have time to talk at the breakfast table and visit the local attractions.

If we lose that accommodation infrastructure, namely, if bed and breakfast establishments cease to operate and a good association ceases to represent them, I am certain this type of infrastructure will not be set up in future. When they came into existence initially, it was not only for commercial reasons. There was a sense of hospitality and people who ran them wanted to meet people and give of their time to them.

The owners of bed and breakfast establishments might be assisted in some respects. Would it not be helpful if they could apply for a special licence to enable them to serve a drink in these establishments? I do not know how that might be done. One of the attractions for people is to be able to have a drink when they say in a hotel. If they cannot have one in a bed and breakfast establishment, they will stay elsewhere.

The point was made earlier that tourism is possibly the largest employer in Ireland. I accept that. It is important the industry is spread throughout the country. There has been a greater focus on tourism in Dublin in the past seven to nine years. Perhaps that is due to the tour operators who find it easier to do that. It might also be related to the changing nature of Shannon Airport some years ago. I remember a time when the numbers visiting Shannon, Tipperary and Galway were much greater. Those in the tourism industry or the Department cannot tell visitors where to go but some mechanism might be found to encourage people to visit areas not currently being visited by tourists. Dublin is becoming a little over-organised. The experience of visiting Dublin in the past was that of a friendly, cohesive city that one could easily get around, but that has changed. We need to review that aspect radically.

I am convinced we can compete with whatever challenges are posed by other destinations in the world. I envisage that China will become a great tourist destination, especially because of the antiquity of its heritage, but we can compete with that. We can talk of our heritage dating back thousands rather than hundreds of years. The discerning tourist will still want to experience that.

I wish the Minister well. In any Ministry he has held, he has been accessible and very much on top of the job, something to which Senator Cummins alluded. I wish him well. I have no doubt in my mind that the mere fact he was here for the full debate and did not have a Minister of State substitute for him after half and hour or an hour into the debate indicates his accessibility. I wish him well and thank him for the encouragement he has given us.