Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir Burke as am a roinnt liom. Tá a fhios againn gur ceist thábhachtach í an turasóireacht sa tír seo agus go bhfuil laghdú ar an méid turasóirí atá ag teacht isteach ó thar lear. Given the economic circumstances, it is important to maximise tourism spend and the tourism sector's potential. Many Senators have ideas and suggestions on how to achieve this difficult objective. I concur with some of the sentiments expressed by Senator Quinn to the effect that this objective will be primarily achieved by people on the ground developing innovative strategies, delivering on ideas and securing additional value from the natural beauty and assets of their local areas. However, I also subscribe to the view that support must be provided at national level. Responsibility for much of the work required in this area falls outside the Minister's portfolio.

I produced a report for the Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs entitled Awakening the West: Overcoming Social and Economic Inequality, a large part of which addressed the issue of tourism. The north-west region has experienced a 30% decline in overseas visitors since 1999. In 2006, counties Clare, Mayo, Roscommon, Leitrim, Sligo and Donegal generated only 9% of overall revenue in tourism. Counties Leitrim and Roscommon generated only 0.3% and 0.6%, respectively, whereas County Galway contributed 9.3% of the overall figure.

Given that the problem in rural areas is one of access, we must examine ways to support access to the regions. The Government decision to freeze national roads projects is unwelcome as it will not benefit the tourism sector. Let us put ourselves in the shoes of an American tourist flying into Dublin Airport. If he wishes to visit County Donegal, he will not have access to a rail service and if he wishes to visit the west of the county, he will not even have access to a public bus service. Tourists wishing to visit my county must rent a car and many of them are reluctant to do so. For this reason, it is vital that we have a joined up approach to road, rail and bus infrastructure.

Information and communications technology is another key issue. Irish Rural Link, in a presentation to a joint committee today, provided a case example of a tourism product project which was severely hampered owing to the absence of broadband in the area in question. As a result, bookings could not be taken over the Internet for up to nine weeks. Difficulties of this nature create additional problems for the tourism sector.

I welcome the support provided for regional and local airports, particularly the Government's decision to exempt smaller regional airports from the air passenger tax, which will be of benefit to the regions in question. The Government must, however, focus more strongly on cultural and Gaeltacht tourism. Of the approximately 6.4 million overseas tourists who visited Ireland in 2006, more than 2 million cited cultural and heritage reasons for their visit. We must support the cultural and heritage tourism sector, on which we have failed to capitalise in recent years.

I appreciate the Chairman's indulgence in allowing me time to contribute to the debate and I will conclude shortly. I come from the Gaeltacht. Most of the people who make return visits to the Gaeltacht first visited the area to attend Irish language schools. In addition, most parents of students who travel to the Gaeltacht this summer to learn the national language will spend a night in the Gaeltacht while visiting their sons or daughters. The Department should, through the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, have access to all relevant information on this group. As such, it should target families who will visit Gaeltacht areas for a day by putting together packages with a view to extend such one-day visits to two or three days. It should, for example, highlight the assets of the areas in question with a view to maximising this form of tourism.

I could say much more on the tourism sector, which will be crucially important to national recovery. Tourism accounts for 3.9% of GNP and makes an even larger contribution to the economy of the west than to that of the east. That is the reason I focused on the west, a region in which much work needs to be done. While those involved in many tourism projects are doing their best, I adhere to the philosophy that if one builds, people will come. When one travels abroad one sees tourism resorts which have been created for the tourism market. We must consider taking a similar approach here, while avoiding the establishment in west Donegal or elsewhere of resorts such as those in Ibiza. We must use all the resources at our disposal to build on the tourism product.