Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I commend Senator Conway for the motion before the House. It is important to put matters in context. The week in which we are having this debate, Government Ministers and representatives of State agencies are travelling to the four corners of the world. We have many important and historic monuments and buildings across the world promoting Ireland, for example, the greening of the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building. That is to be welcomed. We have a unique brand, as the Senator has said, in terms of hospitality, tourism and creating a unique visitor experience.

Senator Boyhan, whom I respect greatly, has hit on the heart of the matter. We must look beyond the capital city in terms of our outlook. I agree that we should review the 9% rate. Many of us will have observed the price of lunch in a pub or restaurant, or the price of a hotel room going through the roof. We must ensure that we are getting value for money and that incentives are being passed on to the consumer. We must go beyond the deals and packages that are available online. When people ring up directly to make a booking, they must be able to get the same prices and availability. It is important that we encourage those within the sector to work with everybody to ensure we have a unique visitor experience.

I read the Sinn Féin amendment, and all of us want to see those who work in hotels and restaurants being properly treated in terms of pay and conditions. It is also important, however, that we come together collaboratively to promote our tourism industry. Tourism has been a key factor in the recovery as visitor numbers have increased. It is an enormous source of employment across the country, whether casual or permanent.

In the area where I come from, namely, Cork, we suffer from being the second city, but we are also in a relationship with our good friends in County Kerry, in terms of the Lakes of Killarney, the Ring of Kerry, Muckross and so on. It is important that Cork city and county councils and Kerry County Council come together to promote and develop the tourism strategy they have launched. Senator O'Sullivan referenced 17.5% of visitors coming to the south west or to Cork in terms of reasonable disparity. Kerry and Dublin do quite well but Cork needs to be seen on the map in terms of tourism.

I refer to the Cork Convention Bureau, which had a very interesting conference this week. Some €11.5 million worth of conferences came to Cork city and county in 2016. That is 8,500 new delegates. I commend Seamus Heaney, the executive chairman, and his staff for the work they do. They are doing this work despite having no convention centre. I urge the Minister who, to be fair, has been very supportive so far, to support the request for extra money for the Cork convention centre when it comes before the Government. This has the potential to unlock a new Cork city quarter in terms of the docklands and the urban heartland of Cork city, and would provide a badly-needed counterbalance to Dublin. At this week's conference, Paul Gallagher of the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation revealed that a 10% potential drop in UK visitors would amount to 6,000 job losses in the tourism sector. Anecdotally, it is rumoured that there would be 7% fewer British travellers willing to take a punt - no pun intended - in travelling post Brexit. We will face a challenge in the post-Brexit era, as Senator Boyhan said, and there will also be challenges created by the Trump era in America and the nationalism that is emerging there. It is important that we have a strategy to deal with that.

I welcome the decision of Norwegian Airlines to fly in and out of Cork. I thank the Minister for the very strong role he played in that decision. He was a very good advocate. He did not have to do that but did so in the interests of the whole country, in offering the people of the south west, particularly in Cork, an opportunity to have a transatlantic flight from Cork Airport. It is now the second biggest transatlantic airport in the country. It is also imperative, however, that we have a marketing strategy around the Cork-T.F. Green Airport link. T.F. Green Airport provides Cork with connectivity. It is a very navigable and manageable airport which is close to Boston, New York, Cape Cod and Connecticut. It gives people the opportunity to travel without having to worry about pre-clearance. There are pre-clearance facilities at Cork Airport on a smaller scale than Dublin Airport which is, as we all know, continuing to grow.

One of the impediments to tourism coming to Cork is the lack of a Cork-Limerick motorway. We need to see that promoted and fast-tracked. It will offer a balance to the Dublin-Belfast axis and to Dublin itself. If we can do that we will be providing a good service to the people of the south west.

The motion before us is about acknowledging and recognising the importance of our tourism industry. Those who criticise the Government should look at the coverage we will get next week across the world in the promotion of Ireland. It is not about the Taoiseach or a Minister going; it is about what is associated with this. It is about promoting Ireland for business, tourism and culture. That is the brand we should be selling: the importance of Ireland Inc. The trade missions around employment are obviously pivotal in that regard.

In conclusion, we need to continue to invest in our green tourism initiatives. As Senator Conway would rightly say, the spectacular growth of the Wild Atlantic Way and the eastern gateway are all examples of this. We need to see the consumer receiving the benefit of the 9% rate. We have done The Gathering, the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland's Ancient East. They are all brilliant. The last Government used the 9% rate to create employment, to act as a catalyst to boost the economy. Although others opposed it, it was proven to be a success. Now we must ensure that, if the 9% rate is to remain, it benefits the tourists, whether they are indigenous or coming from afar.

I thank the Minister for his work in promoting Cork. Finally, on the skills shortage, the previous Fianna Fáil-led Government did a disservice to the country in the way that it let training centres for chefs and the like close. I hope we will be able to rescue and resuscitate them as we now have skills deficits.