Seanad debates

Tuesday, 28 July 2020

10:30 am

Photo of Mark WallMark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I join my fellow Members in welcoming the Minister to this House. I wish her very well in her new post. There is no doubt that this is a challenging time for tourism in Ireland and for those employed in the industry. As the recently appointed Labour Party spokesperson on tourism, I look forward to working constructively with the Minister on solutions to the current problems and to develop the massive potential tourism will still have in a post-Covid-19 Ireland.

The Minister will be aware that 2019 saw a record number of international visitors at just under 10 million. The tourism industry, which includes overseas visitor expenditure, domestic market spending and fares paid to Irish carriers, was worth about €9.3 billion to the economy. The tourism and hospitality industry employed more than 265,000 people throughout the country. Tourism accounted for one job in nine in the State. Unfortunately, with the arrival of Covid-19 the industry is on its knees. International visitors composed almost 75% of the market on which Ireland's tourism economy was based. With very few of those 10 million visitors expected in 2020, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation estimates that the cost of Covid-19 to the tourism industry will amount to €6.9 billion.

In the months since the essential shutdown in mid-March, the collapse in Ireland's international visitor numbers has represented a loss to the Irish economy of €27 million per day. The number of workers employed in the industry who have been temporarily laid off is mind-blowing. It is estimated that at least 90% of the 265,000 workers whose jobs are supported by the industry have been temporarily laid off. Research carried out by Fáilte Ireland in the past month is also very worrying. Too many of the 20,000 businesses in the sector, many of which are family-owned or family-run, face the imminent risk of permanent closure, resulting in job losses and a diminished tourism offering for domestic and international visitors. Fáilte Ireland's findings state that up to 90% businesses are closed and almost half have let their employees go at least temporarily. However, three out of five intend to reopen for the summer months at least.

This is the current situation, with which I am sure the Minister is only too familiar. A ninth of our jobs are in this industry. All tourism representatives have called for radical and far-reaching support from the Government, which to date has not met the wide-ranging needs of this industry. Regarding the July stimulus, the Labour Party welcomes the extension of the temporary Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme and the announcement of the major upskilling programme, which could have a major role to play in this industry and the future job security of 265,000 employees.

The staycation voucher, that is, the stay and spend initiative, was a missed opportunity of gigantic proportions. It targeted those still in work, forgetting those who have lost their jobs in this pandemic. The Government seems to have forgotten those who have worked all their lives and are now in receipt of pensions. These are the same people who were asked to cocoon and have been looking forward to getting out. They have been forgotten once again. Is it the policy of this new Government to ignore our older population? The Government also forgot those who cannot work and are on a disability payment. Surely they deserve the voucher or the chance to put some money back in their pockets. With a little imagination, the staycation voucher could have been used to reward our front-line workers for their hard work and dedication on behalf of us all. Unfortunately, as has been said, they too will have to gather receipts, fill in forms and wait for the end of the tax year to get their money back.

I am sure the Minister, like many Members of the Oireachtas, has been contacted in recent weeks by various sectors of the tourism trade. Notwithstanding what she has already said today, I would really appreciate it if the Minister could outline the plans that she and her Department are considering to assist Ireland's coach operators, tour guides, pub owners, bed and breakfasts and many other sectors. These professionals and their families are suffering and are in urgent need of help. Has the Minister considered funding for local authorities to maintain and, more importantly, promote the attractions in their care? She did not mention this today. Perhaps she can confirm what she expects of the tourism recovery task force and how much support the tourism industry can expect from it.

Research consistently shows that visitors highly value the scenery, natural environment and cultural heritage that Ireland has to offer.These are unique to our shores, of course, and when we add the friendliness and hospitality of the Irish people, we end up with a product that can and will ensure a future for this important sector.

The development of nature-based tourism and experiences of a high standard, with minimal environmental impact, presents a market opportunity after the Covid-19 emergency. I am sure we can all agree Ireland could become a world leader in this regard, and with the support of the Government it would be able to offer an unrivalled package. I spent several hours last Saturday at one potential site, the Umeras peatlands experience just outside Monasterevin in County Kildare, which fits the bill in so many ways. This Bord na Móna bog has the potential to become an ecotourism attraction while at the same time being run by a not-for-profit community group. I hope it will get support from the just transition fund. It can offer walking and cycling routes, birdwatching and child play areas, along with peat heritage. This is an overall family experience for both the international and domestic tourism market, as well as a recreational outlet for people living in the local community. I extend an invitation to the Minister to join me and all public representatives in the area to view the potential in this amenity.

There is also massive potential in the Barrow blueway, construction of which has begun in my local area. This 46 km of tourist track can be a game changer for the economic development of the south Kildare and Laois area. There is a golden horde of tourist attractions in this part of County Kildare. For example, the Shackleton Museum development in Athy has the potential to create a worldwide attraction in honour and memory of the Arctic explorer, Mr. Ernest Shackleton. There is also the abbey at Castledermot, the Moone high cross, the Curragh and the National Stud to consider, to name just a few attractions. The towns of Athy, Monasterevin, Rathangan and Allenwood can offer much along the route to make this blueway an exciting project for tourists and recreational potential in Ireland after Covid-19.

I mention some of the magnificent attractions in County Kildare, putting some of them once again on the public record, because it was with massive disappointment that I read a Bord Fáilte brochure at the weekend. I am sure it was an oversight that the only county not highlighted in the State was County Kildare. I am sure, like me, the Minister will raise the matter with Fáilte Ireland and this oversight will be rectified in the near future. Maybe a visit by the Minister could compensate for this oversight and give the short grass and thoroughbred county its rightful place as a tourist destination.

I thank the Minister once again for being with us today. As I said, I look forward to working with her in discussing this very important sector of the economy. Most important, I look forward to the assistance, financial and otherwise, that the Government must put in place in the quickest possible time to protect jobs in this industry. It is very important to protect the name that Ireland has as a holiday and tourism destination that has been built by so many over such a long period.

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