Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was allowed to keep them. When an employer keeps tips meant for front-line staff it is soul-destroying for the workers and it is scandalous, appalling and disgusting. I would hope it is very rare and I am open to proposals to stamp it out. It has not been brought to my attention and in all the places I have worked over the years, I have seen nothing but a very positive treatment of staff in the way of incentives to do more. I am sure there are places where people abuse staff but one's strongest resource is one's people and I would condemn any such behaviour.

Senator McFadden mentioned Athlone. I do not know if it is the centre of the universe but it is a lovely place. The development of Ireland's Hidden Heartlands will be an interesting and exciting development for Athlone and something on which it can capitalise. With the water, blueways have a huge future there as it is the centre of many waterways.

Senator Joe O'Reilly referred to the 9% VAT rate and the price of hotels in Dublin, which I touched on earlier. I would hate to think that the solution to high hotel prices was to revert to the 13.5% VAT rate, which would be an increase of 50%. There is a lack of supply of hotel rooms and I do not see VAT as the solution. We need extra hotel beds and we need to disperse visitors as much as we can, as well as focusing on getting people here all year round rather than all at the same time in July or August. With such measures we can tackle the price issue. It is a good problem to have that we have so many tourists coming here because there were a few years when there was tumbleweed on the streets. The risk of reputational damage from price gouging is enormous, however, and we must be very careful about it.

The Senator also mentioned the issues faced by Border communities in the context of Brexit. We have a very strong Brexit response group that meets on a regular basis, both in London and in Dublin, where it met last Thursday. A number of representatives on the group are from Border communities, along with people from industry and the agencies both in the UK and here, and they do very good work. He also mentioned vintners and rural pubs, which are an integral part of our overall tourism product and which we need to protect. The Cathaoirleach knows how important a role they play in our economy and in the social lives of many people in the country, as well as in our culture.I am pleased to say that I have moved to ensure the vintners will be represented on the tourism leadership group, as will the restaurant sector. That is critical because they play such an important role in the overall tourism offering and we need to ensure their representation.

Reference was made to the experiences and the spread. That is critical. One Senator mentioned Ballybay in Monaghan. I always think of Kavanagh. We know that in Northern Ireland Bellaghy has become a great centre because of Seamus Heaney. Great work has been done there. In Sligo we have the Yeats connection and there is great potential for a writers trail in the country. We could bring it right down to Senator Ned O'Sullivan's town of Listowel. Not only John B. Keane but Bryan McMahon and so many other rich literary talents hail from north Kerry. The Seanchaí centre in Listowel is a fantastic centre. Anyone would be proud to bring someone from any part of the world there.

Interestingly, Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland carried out research recently. They asked potential Chinese visitors what they thought of when they came to Ireland. One of the top three responses to emerge from that research was the idea of all our great writers, including James Joyce. People were interested in coming here to learn more about them and to see the places that inspired them. That is interesting research into what is potentially a massive market for us especially with direct flights.

Senator Lawlor raised the skills issue. He is quite right and I hope I have answered some of his questions.

There is extraordinary potential in sports tourism. We work closely through Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland to promote golf as much as we can and to promote various other activities such as racing. It is great that we will host games for Euro 2020. That will help the overall tourism industry. We did not get the Rugby World Cup in 2023 but I would like to see us bid again at some stage in future. We are well capable of hosting such a major tournament. All these things boost our visitor numbers.

We should not overlook our native games and the impact they can have. It is not limited to bringing people here for the big games. We all know that so many of our diaspora return for the all-Ireland finals in August and September. It is a tourism product. Let us imagine a person is in Cork on 23 June when a great game of football is being played. It is a fantastic event to be able to go to in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, which is now an outstanding facility. These are the types of things we need to do.

My first engagement in Dublin this morning on the way up from Kerry was at the national sports campus, where the bid for the European Cross Country Championships 2020 was being made. The idea is to try to bring the event here. Government policy is very much about trying to bring sporting events to the country and to highlight how open we are to sporting events. The Para Swimming European Championships will come to Dublin in August, which is also very positive.

Reference was made to local suppliers. In recent years, we have seen an improvement in the quality of food on offer. Visitor feedback is generally that the level or quality of food here tends to exceed expectations. It is great to know the story behind the food, for example, that Mary Murphy's duck eggs are from down the road or John O'Mahony's cow is the source of the steak. People love to know that. They love organic and local food and they feel they are part of the community. Senators are spot on in that regard.

Reference was made to the Grand Canal and Royal Canal greenways and blueways. We will publish the greenway strategy shortly, which I hope will inform further progress on these projects of major merit.

Senator Byrne referred to the loops on the Wild Atlantic Way. They are critical and can play a big role in getting people off the beaten track. Earlier, we discussed bringing people into different parts of the country. Fáilte Ireland is working closely with other communities throughout the country to develop visitor experiences. Officials have worked in Connemara and the Dingle Peninsula and they are working on the Skellig Islands at the moment. The Burren is also on the cards and they are working on that front in Donegal as well. It is a case of trying to get communities to come together to demand that their areas are looked at and to push harder to get them covered by the work of Fáilte Ireland.

Heritage sites are of major importance in telling our story. We know that a major reason people come here is to learn about our heritage and hear our story. The Office of Public Works has been a great leader in providing great value for money throughout the country in recent years. It is a case of trying to be as competitive as we can be no matter who the provider is. We need to try to strike the balance between making a living and ensuring the product is affordable.

A Senator put forward an idea in respect of children. It is important that we do what we can for children. As a father of two young children, I know the days of my wife and I visiting an attraction by ourselves are long gone. It really affects the bottom line now that the family has doubled in number. We see it across the board in everything we do, including accommodation, food and so on, and it is expensive. The more competition we have, the better. I hope I have addressed the skills issue and issues on the regions, which Senators raised.

Senator Buttimer referred to Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Some €30 million was invested in the stadium project. I was there for the last of Ed Sheeran's three concerts which brought more than 100,000 people came to the city. The development of stadiums can have a major impact on tourism potential. We see many of the headline concerts in Dublin, yet we now have a fantastic facility in Cork that can bring intentionally renowned acts. They can make a major contribution to Cork and the region. People were staying in Killarney for the Ed Sheeran concerts although it is 50 miles away. That was positive. It was an opportunity for Cork for the future.

I was glad to be in Cork for the launch of the new Air France-KLM route. I welcome the route. I announced funding for an Ireland's Ancient East capital grant as well. Cork county and city did well out of that. Senator Buttimer referred to Cork as a city with a great ambience and character. It is a great place to visit. I seldom get away for a weekend but I managed to get to Cork for a weekend in April. I absolutely love going there. It is a city with extraordinary potential. I admire the humour and wit of the people of Cork. It is a world-class destination as a city break. When the Queen came here in 2011 the first two days were filled with serious and solemn events, yet when she arrived in Cork we could see that even she was soaking up the atmosphere and the great outlook of the people of Cork. It was marvellous to see that and to see the city look so well on that occasion.

Reference was made to the Providence to Cork route. I led a trade delegation to Providence last July to try to give the Norwegian Air route the best possible start. We are disappointed the winter flights have been cancelled but we hope the route can be sustained, as it is important for Cork. Previously, when people left Cork for North America they went on the boat. Those journeys took far longer than the short number of hours it takes Norwegian Air to do the journey. It is a major opportunity for the entire southern region. We have transatlantic flights for the first time between Cork and North America. It is important for the morale of the airport and everyone involved who worked so hard that we hold on to this route. We would love to see it succeed.

Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland are working closely with the Norwegian Air to try to ensure it is a success. Both organisations work closely with all the airlines. That is a feature of modern tourism agencies. The relationship between airlines and the countries in which they operate is mutually beneficial. They do great work for us but we need to support them as well. We should not forget the success we have had in the country as a result of the airlines. Ryanair is given a bad press at times.Without Ryanair, think of the number of people who would not have come to Ireland over the years. The company deserves recognition, as do all the other airlines which operate here. We need to thank them for choosing to do business with us because we are an island nation. Let us not forget the ferry companies which operate to and from Ireland. We need to work with our partners in industry to ensure that they have an incentive to work with us and operate here. The benefits for us are substantial when that happens. I hope I have addressed all of the issues raised.