Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the good news on the allocation of over €10 million to Shannon Airport and the announcement of 130 jobs for Limerick and the mid-west. On world animal welfare day, the feral cats project in Murroe was awarded €12,000 and Limerick Animal Welfare was awarded over €76,000. This is great news from the Government for Limerick and the mid-west and I welcome it.

I bring to the attention of the Acting Leader, Senator Kyne, that I am friendly with somebody who does private tours and encourages people to come to visit Ireland. In March 2022, the company had 15 group bookings. It now has none and February is similar. This person brought it to my attention that previously people would cancel and rebook for a later date. There is a fear factor and people are not booking. There will be empty buses in February and March, the time of the year when the weather is improving and they tourists are expected to visit the country. We will have to look at supporting these businesses.