Tom Shehan (Fine Gael)

I propose to share time with Senators Michael Mullins and Martin Conway.

I compliment the Minister on the practical approach he has taken to the tourism industry. I also compliment him on the initiatives that have been introduced. He inquired of Senators with regard to where we believed cuts might be made. Tourism Ireland has an advertising and marketing budget of €41 million. This money should be spent on putting in place ambassadors on the ground rather than on television advertisements. It is hard to sell the céad míle fáilte on the television when it is much easier to do so on a personal basis. Recently, a hotelier informed me his chain of hotels had a 40% increase in tourists coming from Great Britain which was due to opening a booking office there and allowed for one-to-one promotion.

In 2007 the Marine Institute compiled a report, Water-based Tourism and Leisure Product Audit, which outlines the potential in marine tourism. It stated in its conclusions:

Ireland's island status gives it a comparative international advantage in marine and coastal tourism and most of the fifteen coastal counties have the potential to develop strong marine tourism products. For each coastal county, this report sets out a detailed product assessment together with specific recommendations on filling service/product gaps.

The absence of a coastline limits the ability of inland counties to compete on even terms. However, water-based leisure products such as angling and boating still offer major potential for tourism development throughout the midlands. Despite nature's distribution of assets, inland water-based tourism may be in a stronger position to develop than coastal tourism. This conclusion stems from the fact that dedicated statutory bodies manage the inland water resources. On the other hand, marine resources fall under the influence of a large number of agencies with no one body given overall responsibility for co-ordinated development.

The report recommended "a need for co-ordinated management of the marine and coastal resource." However, it seems the report has been left to gather dust. Will the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Michael Ring, get his officials to dust down this excellent report which contains much potential for job creation and water-based tourism?