John O'Mahony (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I support the motion and I commend Senator Conway for bringing it forward.

Tourism has been a lifeline at a time when the country was effectively bankrupt. I acknowledge there are issues. Nobody wants to see low-paid employees. However, it is important that tourism continues to be invested in and improved on.

One part of this motion suggests initiatives to spread tourists destinations around the country. To do that, direct access is needed. This could be done through regional airports. I welcome the initiatives involving Norwegian Air International, and all the Minister did to secure its presence. It is important. Tourism is available in every village and town in this country. It is easy and important to support the big ticket cities and towns and so on, but it is very important to go beyond that. The alternative to low-paid jobs in some of the smaller villages and towns is to have no jobs at all. It is about getting the balance right. Workers must be treated to a fair living wage. It is important to spread the numbers of tourists right around the country.

I agree with Senator Byrne when she spoke about the packages that are arranged and that they are sometimes not conducive to that spreading around the country.