Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister to the House for this important debate. The tourist season is now with us and we in County Kerry are always interested in the topic of tourism, no more so than in my own home town of Kenmare. I thank the Minister for coming to the House for the debate.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Fáiltím roimh an deis labhairt leis an Seanad inniu faoi chúrsaí turasóireachta. Tá ról tábhachtach ag earnáil na turasóireachta i bhforbairt chothrom eacnamaíoch réigiúnach ar fud na hÉireann. Seachas a luach eacnamaíoch, tá ról tábhachtach ag an turasóireacht freisin i dtaobh íomhá na hÉireann a chur chun cinn thar lear, rud a thugann tuiscint dhearfach ar mhuintir na hÉireann, ar an tírdhreach agus ar an gcultúr dár gcuairteoirí. Díríonn mo Roinn féin, Fáilte Éireann agus Turasóireacht Éireann ar fhorbairt inbhuanaithe na turasóireachta ar fud na tíre ar fad agus tuigtear go maith an tábhacht ar leith a bhaineann le turasóireacht do phobail i ngach cúinne d'Éirinn, go háirithe i bpobail faoin tuath. At its pre-Covid peak in 2019, tourism was worth €9.5 billion to our economy, supporting in excess of 250,000 jobs in every corner of the country. While the following years have been challenging, we saw a strong recovery in the sector last year and it is estimated that 7 million tourists came to Ireland in 2022, a 73% recovery compared with the pre-pandemic peak. The latest figures from the CSO also show strong performance in domestic tourism last year, with Irish residents taking 13.3 million domestic overnight trips in 2022, which amounted to €2.9 billion in expenditure. This represents a 14% increase in trips and a 36.5% increase in spend from domestic tourism when compared with 2019 totals. It is clear from these figures that our tourism offering is strong and continues to be an important driver for sustainable growth and balanced regional development.

While this is all welcome news, I am acutely aware of the current challenges faced by the tourism sector. The unprecedented arrival of people fleeing war in Ukraine, combined with the high number of international protection applicants, has resulted in the largest humanitarian effort in the State's history. The national response to this challenge is underpinned by an all-of-government approach. As part of this effort, Ireland is now accommodating almost 84,000 people compared with 8,300 in February 2022. This is equivalent to the population of Galway city, and serviced accommodation within the tourism sector, primarily hotels, has been to the fore in meeting this immediate need. The Government is focused on how to continue the sustained support for Ukrainian people, including those already here, as well as those likely to be further displaced by the ongoing conflict. As part of this, the Government is agreed that a move from an emergency response to a more mainstream approach, including a reduced reliance on serviced accommodation, is appropriate.

Demand for Irish tourism, both from abroad and at home, is very strong. The sector has, supported by Government, shown great resilience in rebuilding after Covid. However, I am concerned regarding the potential downstream impacts on tourism businesses of the removal of one third of registered tourism accommodation from the tourism market. Fáilte Ireland research shows that for every €1 spent on tourism accommodation, the average overnighting tourist spends another €2.50 in the local economy on visitor attractions, tourism support services, hospitality and retail. I have raised this concern with my Cabinet colleagues and I have asked my officials and Fáilte Ireland to do further work on the matter as we approach peak season. That work will focus on emerging trends in the 2023 season, with particular focus on those parts of the country that are most affected by the loss of tourist accommodation. It will also assess what mitigation measures could be considered if the scale of the impact is sufficient to warrant this.

The State has invested heavily over the decades in helping the tourism sector to become a key employer of scale in large parts of the country and in ensuring a strong pool of tourism attractions, activity providers and related tourism businesses. While it is to be hoped that intervention and mitigation measures will not be needed, and that key tourism businesses will be able to trade successfully throughout the season, it is prudent to assess the potential impacts of tourist accommodation displacement and to consider potential measures.

I have continuously worked to support the tourism sector and in budget 2023 I secured additional funding totalling €30 million. Of this, €15 million was secured for overseas marketing of Ireland. Domestically, an additional €15 million is underpinning the delivery of a range of measures by Fáilte Ireland to support the sector, including boosting the industry’s recruitment and retention efforts and sustainable tourism initiatives.

In marketing Ireland as a holiday destination, Tourism Ireland is undertaking activity aimed at generating demand which delivers balanced regional growth, including its twinning initiative, which involves overseas markets having a particular focus on a specific region. The work of both agencies should ensure that greater regional dispersal of tourists can create opportunities for businesses and job creation in more communities and businesses in the shoulder seasons.

In budget 2023, I also secured €36.5 million to support that continued tourism product development. In this context, the recent launch of Ireland’s programme for the EU just transition fund will see the investment of €68 million in tourism in the midlands. This regenerative tourism scheme will be a driver of employment for the midlands, with the funding to be broken down under a number of headings, for example, the delivery of a strategic network of connected walking, cycling and water trails across the midlands.

Tríd is tríd, tá cuma mhaith ar a bhfuil i ndán don turasóireacht in Éirinn tar éis tréimhse an-deacair le roinnt blianta anuas. Mar sin féin, tuigim na dúshláin eile atá romhainn agus is léir go bhfuil gá le cur chuige coiteann comhbheartaithe ilpháirtithe leasmhara chun aghaidh a thabhairt ar na dúshláin sin. Is é sin an cur chuige a leanfaidh an Roinn agus mé féin.

Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister to the House to discuss this issue. I also welcome her officials. The Minister is a regular attendee in this Chamber.

Before I address the matters the Minister has spoken about, I want to raise an issue affecting the crossover between tourism and sport, given that the 70th hosting of the Rás Tailteann began in the town of Navan yesterday. This is a significant event from the point of view of both sport and tourism. It is going to bring a lot of colour and excitement to many towns across the island and for those lucky enough to be in the towns it passes through, I ask them to come out and encourage it. It is an amazing event that started off yesterday morning and I thank the Department for its support of that.

Senators Malcolm Byrne, Carrigy and I are members of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media. Nothing is debated more in that committee than tourism, rightly so, given it is worth over €10 billion to the economy. However, there are so many different aspects that we literally have it on the agenda every single month, whether it be accommodation, prices, the VAT issue, skills shortages, reports into working conditions in the sector, the growth in the number of visitors or short-term lets, and last week we discussed rural tourism. My point is that it is a tapestry. In that context, we are certainly not going to shoehorn into an hour-long discussion here everything we want to say about a matter that the committee debates literally all the time and that the Minister debates every single day.

There are a number of key points pertaining to this debate in terms of the value to the economy from a spending and economic value point of view, and the value of jobs created in the sector. There is also the issue of our international reputation, which I want to touch on, and which is something that Paul Kelly, the CEO of Fáilte Ireland, has spoken about extensively at our committee, given that over 70% of spend by visitors to this country is generated from international tourism. Then there is domestic tourism, and the Minister talked about the fact the domestic tourism aspect is now worth up to €3 billion. However, there is a huge issue in terms of value for money for those domestic consumers that I have stressed consistently at the committee.

The Minister has done substantial work on promoting and protecting the sector but we then come down to the players in the sector - those making a living in the sector. We had a very robust committee debate at the end of March where people from the sector, such as the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, Fáilte Ireland and those in accommodation, came before us. I did not like the approach that was brought forward at that meeting and, in particular, I had an exchange with Eoghan O'Mara Walsh, who spoke there - we discussed VAT - but was nearly giving us a warning in terms of rising prices this summer. I do not do threats, and I do not like talk of that nature either. We had all of the sector in the committee before Christmas. We pleaded the case with the Minister and with the Minister for Finance to make sure that the 9% was retained to help and promote tourism, and that was acceded to. Then, fast forward a couple of months, and the same protagonists are in before us at committee, warning of the impact of rising prices this summer. The only people who have been impacted by that are in the domestic tourism market because international visitors had their bookings made last autumn to come to Ireland and they secured good prices. However, the 30% who are domestic tourists, who may be only booking around now for the tourist season, are the ones impacted by this.

Of course, I accept that if there is an extraction of hotel beds from the marketplace, that is going to have an impact on price. However, to give some perspective, it is also worth pointing out that we have had a growth in bedrooms in Dublin from 22,000 to 26,000 this year, which is 4,000 additional bedrooms, yet Dublin is the one place where value for money seems to be gone out the window. That point has to be made.I have discussed this from a rural point of view with Mr. Paul Kelly of Fáilte Ireland. He is concerned, and I think the Minister, Deputy Martin, is too, as we are, about the challenges we face for the coming season and in particular for rural tourism economies. A huge number of hotels and accommodation services in rural areas have been taken by the Department for use to deal with the challenges in accommodating international migrants. The impact is on the wider tourism market. As Mr. Kelly said, if bars, retail and the transport providers in these towns go out of business, how long is it going to be until they are built back up? He said:

We learned during Covid-19 that it is not possible to turn tourism off like a tap, and turn it back on again afterwards.

[...]

There are certain towns where almost 100% of the accommodation is gone to Government contracts and because the visitors will not be there, those towns will struggle to get back to being vibrant tourism destinations in the future.

He is the CEO of Fáilte Ireland, and it is something we have to take very seriously. I know the Minister does, and I would be pleased to hear her comments on that as well.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I welcome the Minister to the House. I only have a few things to say with regard to tourism and the Minister's brief. They are a little bit disjointed - I would not like to think I was too disjointed - but I want to share with the Minister two or three things. First, I was at the recent British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly. We gathered in Jersey for a few days. The issue of tourism was very much to the fore of our deliberations. There is the issue of the North-South tourism body. The all-island approach we have to tourism is one of the great successes. Jersey, Scotland and Wales are all part of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, BIPA, and we discussed the issue particularly with regard to Scotland and Wales, and how we can develop tourism more within our own countries and economies. I am very conscious of the issue, particularly in Ireland, with regard to the agrifood and artisan food sectors, and how we can spend money at home. Everyone does not have to go away. It is about spending in Ireland. The challenge for many of us is why we are not spending more time in Ireland. Why are we not spending more time going North? I am a regular visitor to Northern Ireland, and there are really great opportunities there. That is important. The work around the North-South tourism body, the all-island approach, is a good one. It is one I welcome and support.

The issue then has to be around what the motivation is for us to stay in Ireland in terms of tourism. It is about discovery, experience, consuming the tangible and intangible cultural attractions, and making that attractive with regard to the products for the tourism destination. The Minister is aware of all this, but it is important.

The Minister also has the arts brief. We have our arts and culture. The Minister may or may not be aware of this, but we have a lot of inward tourism as a result of our very famous and historic gardens in Ireland. Horticulture is an area of tourism, particularly for an older generation of people. People come on highly-organised tours to visit gardens both North and South. With that, one has bed capacity and spending in all of those areas, and that is really important.

I would like to see more focus on the coastal attractions, and the wonderful amenities, and how we can tap into that with regard to tourism and recreation. Tourism is interconnected with cultural exchange, and exposure to different kinds of culture. I know many people go to west Cork - I go there quite a bit myself - and of the opportunities there.

After all of that, we have to look at the cost, and why it is so expensive for us to stay in Ireland and avail of the tourism offering. Are we tackling the price gouging which has been going on in the hotel sector at certain times of the year? It has become very expensive, so we have to look at the costs. We have had issues around VAT and taxation on tourism, and we lobbied very successfully or strongly in the past on that. When that was slightly tweaked and reduced, many in the tourism sector were not directly happy, but I am not convinced it was all passed on to the customer. That is a particular challenge for us.

However, there is a real opportunity to promote our cultural events and cultural spaces, and what is all around all of that, including agrifood and the offerings around that. We have an awful lot to do. When one looks at Longford and thinks of Center Parcs, one sees that as a real success. Can we reproduce the model in one or two places? I am told that maybe it is not as financially successful as it appears, but it appears to be very successful, and certainly people are talking about it.

I want to wish the Minister well. I know her a long time. I know how she applies herself, and that she is fiercely committed to this Department and the broad briefs within it. Tourism is a great opportunity for us all, and we should grow it. I would like to see greater co-ordination and work within our local authorities. I am thinking of Limerick and Ennis and of Bunratty and the transfer back into the local authority. There are real opportunities to empower local authorities to take on the ownership and the stewardship of particular sites and tourist attractions. I ask the Minister to actively pursue that. I do not know if she has a plan or a direct link in each of the 31 local authorities in terms of a liaison person who is driving tourism, like we have in the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment with the local enterprise offices, LEOs. Are there key people within the local authority structure who promote and drive tourism? They are just a few thoughts. I thank the Minister.

Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister. In her introduction, she mentioned the just transition fund. I was at the launch in Corlea, a very apt location for the launch of that fund. I see a figure of €68 million ring-fenced and committed for tourism projects. I sincerely hope that the Longford and Offaly, the two counties most affected by just transition, would be prioritised for funding for those projects. I have a meeting tomorrow morning in Abbeyshrule with the tourism committee and providers to look at possibilities for projects that we could put forward to leverage money from that fund.

Senator Boyhan mentioned Center Parcs. It has been a massively successful model, with nearly full capacity all year round, providing 1,000 jobs in the midland economy, with tens of companies supplying into it from the region. I have to compliment Center Parcs. When we met it in Luton six, seven or eight years ago, prior to the project being developed, it gave a commitment that it would source as much from the local economy as it could, and it has done so. A significant number of business are supplying into it. The model is working. That is why it has got planning permission for around 180 lodges to bring it up to, when completed, accommodation for roughly 3,500 people at a minimum every week. We do not want to see it replicated anywhere else in the country. We want people to continue to keep coming to Longford, that is, those 3,500 people per week. Then it is up to us as a local authority and as a tourism committee to try to get people to see what we have to offer in Longford and the greater midlands. That is something we have particularly identified as a priority in our strategy, that is, to build on the assets that we have.

The county came from quite a low base a number of years ago. We have our walkways, cycleways, lakes, rivers and canals, and we are working on and building on that. Our numbers are increasing, and the advent of the Hidden Heartlands brand name has been significant for us, in that we actually had a brand we could identify. It has proven to be so successful and strong that other counties looked to get into that brand name. I am very positive going forward.

On accommodation, we have to come back to that point and the figures for Longford. We have a very low Fáilte Ireland accommodation base. At the moment, more than 70% of that is taken up and not available. A 14-bed guesthouse, PV's, opened in Longford town last week. It is now open to the market. However, it is very difficult for us, as a committee, which is trying to promote Longford, to bring in tour groups and to talk to coach operators, if there is nowhere to stay.It is a major issue. The Minister said there was a 73% recovery in 2022 but, internationally, I think we face problems. What I hear from people in the coach-operating business is that a lot of the international market is starting to look at the likes of Scotland for those tours because we are not able to provide the accommodation. Some of the accommodation comes at a significantly increased cost. There is a negative knock-on effect on the ancillary businesses in all those areas. We met Paul Kelly, whom Senator Cassells mentioned, only a couple of weeks ago. These businesses are expected to lose revenue of €1.1 billion due to the lack of accommodation and the tourism spend in those areas that will not happen. I firmly believe, therefore, that we need to look at a Covid-type scheme that we would put in place to support those businesses. We need to support them because they will struggle over the next 12 months or, to be honest, 24 months. I fear we will lose that business for the coming years because we are not able to accommodate those tour operators. We also met with the coach tour operators. They are starting to lose tours.

Another issue arising is VAT. The operators are not able to compete with some of the Northern Ireland bus companies in that what tours are coming are being undercut on price by bus companies from Northern Ireland because the operators here are not able to claim back VAT. That needs to be looked at to allow at least the bus industry to be competitive on those tours that are here. We have heard anecdotally that another issue related to VRT is the lack of vehicles available for the rental market and that what is available is at a significantly high price.

We have thrashed this out at committee level. It has been probably the number one topic in our committee over the past 24 months. We have met the stakeholders throughout. I have to hand it to the Minister; she has supported the industry and pushed on its behalf within Government to get the supports in place.

The 9% VAT rate was significant for the industry. We need to look at extending it again. I know that it will be said that we have price gouging among certain hotels, particularly here in the capital. I did not look this up but I assume that this weekend hotel accommodation is at a high premium, particularly with the Heineken Cup final being on and large numbers coming in from La Rochelle. I will be at that match but I will use Iarnród Éireann to get up and down to Dublin. When you go to other parts of the country you can get great value, so we cannot label everyone together. I have just booked something for June, when my kids will finish up in school. We got a short break in the Diamond Coast Hotel, Enniscrone, a beautiful hotel, for under €600 for three nights, bed and breakfast, so there is value throughout the country when you look around. We need to look at some sort of support measure for those ancillary businesses that will suffer and lose revenue. As Paul Kelly said, those businesses are expected to lose €1.1 billion in revenue in the year ahead.

I look forward to further engagement over the coming months. I have very high confidence that the Government will support businesses in the tourism sector.

Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail)
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I cannot believe the Senator will miss the Longford match.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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The Minister is very welcome. I acknowledge the exciting developments in Limerick, particularly the opening of the International Rugby Experience. It is very welcome in the heart of the city, alongside our medieval quarter and the fact that we really are the sporting capital of Ireland when you think of our success in rugby and hurling. Our hurling is a little dodgy at the minute, but we will see. There is our thriving Treaty United as well.

The three bridges, quite unusually, came to prominence during Covid, when people were not really allowed to do much and many people took to walking the three bridges route. It has become a huge tourist attraction now because people can see the city from so many different angles. Limerick has a hell of a lot to offer, and I very much welcome the news that Bunratty Castle is now under the ownership of Clare County Council for the first time. It makes a huge difference in terms of security for the staff and, it is to be hoped, a secure financial future for the really impressive tourist attraction it is. I salute the SIPTU trade union for its three-year campaign to get that done. It campaigned mightily, and it is a big win not only for the union but also our tourist offering across the mid-west.

One of the key things we need to do - I hope the Minister will agree with me - is ensure a better dispersal of tourists across the country. I speak particularly from the point of view of the mid-west and the west. This is where we really need some help from the Minister's colleague, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, because, as she will know, 90% of flights both leaving and coming into the State do so on the east coast. That is not the way it should operate. We need a strategic direction in respect of that issue. We need a new airport authority with a mandate that will determine that, rather than having Shannon Airport, for example, directly in competition with Dublin, the two should come under the one umbrella. There is, however, a particular direction from the Government to ensure a greater diversity of flights, not just for Shannon but across the west generally. That is the sort of initiative we need to ensure we have more tourists coming to the west, if we are serious about it. If 90% of people are landing in Dublin, the chances are that an awful lot of them will not move west. That is a fundamental difference we would like to see the Government make. It would need the co-operation of the Minister for Transport. I regret to say he has ignored the issue any time I have raised it with him in the past, but it is something we should all be able to agree on in terms of having a strategic view as to how we get greater dispersal of people across the west.

I take the point Senator Carrigy made that we cannot describe all hotels as being the same. There are small hotels and there are large corporates. There is no doubt in my mind but that price gouging has been going on. Anyone who tried to stay for the Bruce Springsteen concerts over the past week or two will know that. There is no question about it.

My concern is about the terms and conditions of workers. The Minister mentioned 250,000 workers in the sector. This is a low-pay sector. It is one in which increasingly young people are happy to work as they work their way through college but they do not see it as a viable career path, and there is a problem there. In fairness, the Government knows the solution because it has made a start in respect of the early years sector. We need an employment regulation order for the sector to put in place a floor of decency as regards terms and conditions that would put proper pay scales in place. The sad reality is that for barmen working in a hotel in Ireland, the chances are there is a set rate of pay and no pay scale to look to. We used to have pay scales for people when we had employment regulation orders in place years ago. We even had pensions for people who worked in the hotel and tourism business. Is it such an unreasonable ask that we put those conditions back into play? Again, we need the Government to help make that happen. I would like to hear whether the Government is prepared to actually engage with both employers and unions to see that employment regulation order come about. It is regrettable but factually true that the blockage at the moment is caused by the employer groups. The Irish Hotels Federation does not want to engage in that process. That is not only mistaken in terms of protecting the long-term future of our tourism offering; it is actually against its own interests. As I said, the sector is struggling to retain staff, and the reason for that is that it is just not attractive as set up at the moment. Rates of pay, frankly, are too low. We know what the solution is but what I have not seen to date is a Government willingness to acknowledge that this is a problem in the first place and that the best route out of it is by working towards an employment regulation order.

Passports need to be mentioned. Members are beginning to get calls about them again. We would expect some calls at this time of year but I again implore the Government to consider opening a passport office in Belfast. It would send a really positive message to our fellow countrymen in the North. It would also ease the pressure on the existing passport services. I note and welcome that there is now a building in London separate from the embassy where people can make appointments and get their passports. If we can have that in London, why on earth can we not have an office in Belfast? It is a sensible thing to do. It would send a powerful signal that we regard our brothers and sisters in the North as having the same rights to access as we do down here. It is the sort of initiative that would gain an awful lot of credit for the Minister so I ask her to look at that.

Overall, there is lots of good. I acknowledge the challenges the Minister mentioned with the pressure of the huge task in respect of refugees. That is a real problem, and I do not think anyone should make politics out of it. I certainly will not do so today, except to acknowledge that it is a challenge. I know the Minister is doing her best to deal with it but I would welcome her responses, particularly as to how we lift the terms and conditions for the people who actually create the value and deliver the service day in, day out, across our island.

Mark Wall (Labour)
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I welcome the Minister. Tourism is a major contributor to the economy. It is a key employer in our communities and adds to development in many of them, as does heritage. The Minister mentioned that tourism was worth almost €10 billion to the economy in 2019, which is very positive. She also mentioned the latest CSO figures, which are worth repeating. Irish residents took 13.3 million domestic overnight trips in 2022. These amounted to €2.9 billion in expenditure, which represents a 14% increase. This is to be very welcome in an industry that went through so much during Covid.

Recently, the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media heard a contribution from Fáilte Ireland that described the heart of its work to develop the spatial spread of tourism to four regional experiences. One of these is the Wild Atlantic Way, which will mark its tenth anniversary next year. It is unbelievable that the Wild Atlantic Way brand is already almost ten years old. This is to the credit of everybody involved with the brand. The other regional experiences are Ireland's Hidden Heartlands, Ireland's Ancient East and Dublin.

Fáilte Ireland told the committee about the growing demand by visitors to explore natural forest parks. As somebody who enjoys multiple walks weekly in local forest parks I ask the Minister whether she has plans, working collaboratively with Coillte, to expand and develop them. Coillte was involved in developing car parking in Mullaghreelan Wood outside Kilkea near Athy in south Kildare. It is a wonderful facility for people there. I am also aware of the overgrowth affecting my local walks. Those walks have potential but they need development. Is the Department looking with Coillte to develop these forest walks and expand this area of recreational tourism and its potential to bring in people?

I must mention an aspect that worries me and other colleagues. I refer to littering. I have been following this issue for a while. We are all aware of the beautiful countryside that we have which many colleagues have already promoted during the debate. We cannot ignore what is happening to many places with littering. My colleague, Senator Malcolm Byrne, tabled a Bill, as did I, on this matter. Recently, we were told that we are awaiting code of practice from the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, to develop and bring into practice the use of CCTV cameras against littering. We debated a Bill the last September and we are still awaiting the code of practice from the LGMA. It is simply not good enough. Our countryside is under attack and this is having a negative effect on our tourism potential. Many people I speak to raise this issue. If we look at some of the chat boards it is mentioned quite regularly. It is something in which the Department needs to get involved. The Minister has been active in every other aspect of the Department but this is something we need to highlight and explore.

Senator Carrigy mentioned counties Offaly and Longford and the just transition fund. He is also very familiar with Laois and Kildare. I will not leave them out. There is also a need there. We would appreciate, as always, the input of the Minister regarding these two counties accessing some of the very welcome money from fund.

When discussing this topic previously, I mentioned the night-time economy. I know the Minister is heavily involved with it. I welcome the announcement yesterday of €1 million for museums and galleries and the support for those availing of, and who are part of, the night-time economy. This is very important. Our capital city and our rural towns and villages need to roll out more to attract people at various times of the day.

It would be remiss of me not to speak about my home county of Kildare when I have an opportunity to speak about tourism and great places to visit in this country. Kildare is right up there with the very best of them. Just over a year ago the Minister joined us to launch the strategic plan for tourism in the wonderful Kilkea Castle, along with Aine Mangan and David Mongey. The plan outlines a vision for Kildare as a rural escape from the bustle of this city in which we are having this debate. The availability of a true rural escape is enhanced by the exceptional thoroughbred experience. I want to mention the National Stud again today. It is a jewel in the crown of tourism in this country. We are all very proud of it in County Kildare. Next year we will have the Brigid 1500 festival, with which the Minister is familiar. The Department has been involved in it. Kildare will be open for business next year to celebrate this great event and there will be much on offer.

I want to mention two other projects in which I am personally involved. The first is the Shackleton Museum in Athy. I have raised this issue with the Minister previously. Recent investment by Kildare County Council and the Department has made this a worldwide attraction and there is no doubt about it. The annual Shackleton autumn school attracts people from all over the world. When I was chair of Athy Municipal District Council, there were up to 20 different nationalities attending the festival. It shows the potential of the Shackleton brand to bring people from all over the world to a rural town such as Athy in south Kildare.

The other project I want to mention is the Barrow blueway, which is three quarters of the way to being finished. I have mentioned recreational tourism in Kildare and this is an exceptional example. In south Kildare, we are all excited to see what the project will bring. It has great potential for local people. There is Linda and Martin's Dilly Dally café, a little place that opened up along the route and that is already attracting people. It shows the potential for encouraging locals to get involved in developing tourism along the route. I look forward to the Minister officially opening the route, which we hope will happen later in the year. Kildare is open for business and we look forward to seeing all colleagues and visitors visiting the great county throughout the year.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome to the Gallery the staff and service users from St. Christopher's day centre in Longford. The have been brought by Senator Carrigy. I hope they enjoy their day in the Seanad and Leinster House and I thank them for coming.

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome our visitors and I thank the Minister for coming to the House. She has always been willing to make herself available for debates relating to the Department. She has shown a passion and an interest in all of the areas of her very extensive brief. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media, which my colleagues have mentioned, works in a very collaborative way. We are appreciative of the Minister's understanding of our work and of the input of the Department. It is important that when we have a debate on tourism that we thank all those who are working in the sector. A large number of people work in tourism and hospitality throughout the country. They had a couple of very difficult years during Covid, and have come through it. There were extensive and very welcome Government supports provided.

Unlike others, and because there are so many wonderful tourism attractions in County Wexford, I do not have time to list them all other than to encourage people to visit wexford.ieor lovegorey.ieand see them. While Senator Gavan may lay claim to Limerick being Ireland's sporting capital, as the Minister knows well Wexford is Ireland's artistic, cultural and music capital. The Assistant Secretary is making a note of this so the branding will be included very shortly.

I thank Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland for all of the work they do in promoting the country, particularly when we look at some of the videos Tourism Ireland has put together and how it sells and markets. The investment in marketing of the country by the Department has been very important.

As previous speakers indicated, the hospitality sector has responded very effectively to the challenge of displaced persons, particularly from Ukraine. The difficulty is that this has meant that up to one fifth of hotel beds throughout the country are no longer available. This is not balanced nationally. There is a particular problem in certain counties where more beds are taken up. If a particular rural community has only one hotel the hotelier will be looked after it but the facility is unavailable for the local community. This is not only about hotel bed nights. It can also be about events such as weddings and family gatherings. We have a particular concern about downstream activity. If visitors are not coming to a community then its activity and adventure centres, coffee shops and sports facilities that depend on tourists will lose out.

The Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media has met a number of organisations, including the Arts Council and the National Campaign for the Arts. There is real concern about many summer arts and music festivals. There is a difficulty in getting accommodation for the artists who are coming to visit communities, never mind those who want to come and visit. If we do not have available more accommodation, particularly in some of the communities where bed nights have being taken out, then we will have a very serious problem.We need to look at some form of a structured programme, very similar to the one we had during Covid, to be able to support those businesses and also ensure that the arts and music are able to continue. It could be a very difficult summer. As Senator Gavan said, this is not about playing politics. The hospitality sector wants to play its part in meeting the challenges of the crisis.

Our other concern relates to the challenges around rural tourism and short-term lets. The Minister made announcements on this recently. The pause in the process facilitated by the European Commission will allow for clarity to be provided on short-term letting. We have particular concerns around rural and coastal tourism. There are a lot of valid short-term lets. They can be temporary guest houses, rooms may be available during festivals and so on. I know there is engagement with the sector but it is important that as soon as is practicable, we make it very clear what the rules are going to be so that the sector can adapt. Tied in with that is the need to examine encouraging additional accommodation in areas such as glamping and traditional bed and breakfasts and guest houses and to develop supports in those areas.

We need an increase in hotel accommodation. When Mr. Paul Kelly was before the committee, he said that in spite of the increase in hotel beds, Dublin city is “under-hotelled”, in his phrase, to the tune of about 5,000 beds. Similarly, there is also a challenge outside Dublin.

I agree with my colleague, Senator Wall. We have a problem with littering and the perception of Ireland being dirty. The use of CCTV by local authorities is something we have called for for some time. The legislation is now in place but we have been unable to roll out CCTV in line with the guidelines because of the delays. That remains a problem.

Finally, there is one upside of Brexit. Where school trips from northern France used to go to England, because it is much more difficult to administer, many are looking to come to Ireland in the shoulder season, particularly from Rosslare Europort. This is a major opportunity for growth and I hope the Department and the agencies would look to continue to expand this area.

I thank the Minister for all her continued work on this. She has a big challenge but we are all interested in supporting her to support the tourism sector.

Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael)
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Fáilte Ireland has done a lot of work on digital supports for business. There was a lot of engagement with Fáilte Ireland earlier this year on the supports it has in place, which are wonderful. I like the bed-nights portal on its website which shows the breakdown of accommodation supports and bed and breakfast nights across our different providers and how hotels provide 60% to 70% of bed nights here.

As the Minister noted in her opening statement, this is a massive industry worth more than €9.5 billion. It has a huge impact on local economies particularly in areas such as Galway, where I am from, or Roscommon. That area is part of the Hidden Heartlands. The west of Galway is in the Wild Atlantic Way but it is crucial that east Galway is part of the branding under the Hidden Heartlands. East Galway and Roscommon have so many treasures that are getting a lot of promotion through this.

The just transition was launched in Longford with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan some weeks ago. It was fantastic to see. I have some specific questions on that. The just transition is open to counties in the midlands. It includes Roscommon and the municipal district of Ballinasloe. It is the only municipal district of the five in County Galway that is part of the just transition. It will be really important for the area. Ballinasloe is the town for Shannonbridge and is only 10 km away. Lanesborough is the town for Roscommon and Ballyleague; they are two areas impacted by the changes in industry.

The parts of just transition under Fáilte Ireland referred to certain types of grants. There were small grants of roughly €10,000 to €275,000 and larger-scale grants over €275,000 for different types of projects. I understand they will be under a rolling call which will open around July. If the Minister could give any more comments or details on this it would be very welcome. It is important that it looks at the visitor experience and how we will develop the area to be ready to draw down that funding.

Fáilte Ireland is seeking a tourism activator for each county. I am asking the Minister to consider that the tourism activator for County Galway could be located in Ballinasloe municipal district and in its civic offices. That person will be someone who will work with communities across the area in the Ballinasloe municipal district. That includes Mountbellew, Glenamaddy, Laurencetown, Clonfert, all along the River Suck. It will support them and help them apply for this funding. This will be a game changer for so many of these communities but they are probably insufficiently developed to apply for the funding. The tourism activator role will be crucial. A person will also be allocated for County Roscommon. It is a very welcome role which was announced by Fáilte Ireland.

Trail development, working with Bord na Móna, is another thing. People in Ballinasloe are delighted Galway to Dublin cycleway is coming there from Athlone along the Grand Canal towpath. It is coming through a lot of Bord na Móna area, linking not only our cycleways but also our waterways. So there is the River Suck, the Grand Canal - where the new cycleway will be constructed around 2026 fingers crossed - and the Beara Breifne Way which goes through nine counties from Cork to Cavan, and through Galway and Roscommon. The trail development is to help developers put in place walkways in bogland areas. There are so many areas which are open for this. I would like to see how we are developing routes off the new cycleway through bogland areas linking places such as Ahascragh. There is a multi-million euro gin and whiskey distillery being launched there. An old mill which was derelict has been renovated and millions pumped into it. It is putting Ahascragh on the map. It would be wonderful if some of these trails, walkways and cycleways were linked through our bogs and into some of our towns. Mountbellew has Galway’s living bog of thousands of acres. Moore, Ballydangan has the red grouse living project. What is there is incredible. That trail’s development through Bord na Móna could really change along with rewetting bogs and maintaining all the sphagnum mosses and ensuring we have biodiversity. Making this open means that we see how our environmental changes benefit our community and society and children can see this. That can happen with platform walkways through bogs, cycleways and off-road experiences.

I live in an area where you take your life in your hands when you walk on the road because there are no footpaths. You have nowhere to walk. I so look forward to the cycleway in 2026 but also how Fáilte Ireland will support communities around the trail development so that communities in the area can use them as well as tourists. I am not just talking about international tourists. The domestic economy and how we attract tourists from only an hour down the road is crucial. It is about how we bring in people from Westmeath, Offaly, Mayo and Sligo to visit. Some people here have been to Galway recently to celebrate big occasions. How we attract our domestic visitors to places such as Roscommon and Galway is important. Small-scale festival funding has just been launched, and it is very welcome to see. I thank the Minister for that. It was crucial for a festival, Féile Cheoil Larry Reynolds in Ballinasloe, which involves traditional Irish music. It is about arts and heritage and I know the Minister is looking to fund several groups. Last year, her Department funded 28. In the Fáilte Ireland presentation given earlier this year, it spoke about 45 strategic festivals that would be funded. Will there be an increase, potentially, on the numbers that were funded? There were roughly 28 and different amounts. Will the Minister look at music festivals? There is a brand-new festival, the Livestock Music & Arts Festival. Two family farmers developed that space to have music. It was a family festival but was very diverse. It would be very welcoming for new communities because there is drumming and different types of instruments. That would be important. I also highlight the Beara-Breifne Way, as I mentioned. I very much appreciated Senator Wall, I think, speaking about litter and CCTV. I know it is not the Minister's Department but any information on CCTV and local authorities would be welcome.

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. I preface my comments by saying the war in Ukraine is a humanitarian crisis and we must do all we can to help and support people. We have both a moral and legal obligation to do so as well as having the support of the Irish public in that endeavour.

The focus of my contribution is on the implication of the significant loss of bed capacity in tourist accommodation throughout the country due to Government policy to house refugees in hotels and guesthouses, in particular budget hotels and smaller guesthouses. I have a greater concern for those areas where tourism is a big employer, an important part of the local economy and may be seasonal in nature. These jobs support people in making a living, paying the bills and putting food on the table. In some parts of the country, particularly in the region I represent, there are few alternatives to working in tourism and hospitality for many people. The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, is responsible for integration and it is his Department which is contracting with tourist accommodation providers. However, it is the Minister's Department that has responsibility for tourism and protecting one of our most important indigenous industries. The policy to buy up huge swathes of hotel accommodation is severely damaging our tourism sector. I want to know today what the Minister and her Department plan to do about it.

The issue has been well flagged with the Minister and her colleagues in Cabinet by the industry. I believe she and her colleagues have had sight of a document from Fáilte Ireland that was leaked to the media last week, entitled "The implications of displaced tourism accommodation stock and potential support solutions". I commend it for coming to the table with solutions as well. It makes for very stark reading and sets out in black and white just how bad things have become in the last year for the sector. Some 28% of all Fáilte Ireland registered tourist accommodation bed stock is contracted to the State; excluding Dublin, the figure is 34%. Tourism revenues are being hampered because potential visitors are either unable to find suitable accommodation or unable and-or unwilling to pay the rates sought, as colleagues have alluded to. Lost tourism revenue is estimated to exceed €1.1 billion on an annualised basis. That is a staggering figure. This puts jobs at risk, especially in parts of Ireland where alternative employment opportunities are low.

I think of my own county of Mayo and the entire west and north-west region, where tourism and hospitality employ many people. We have worked hard as a region over many decades to build up our tourism offering and a reputation as a tourism destination. This Government policy of stripping the region of so much tourist accommodation is killing us and setting the sector back by years. Once a destination switches off or dials down its tourism offering, Fáilte Ireland estimates that it can take ten years to get it back. The tourism demand will not simply return when things return to normal - they probably never will. We will never return to what we had two years ago. The market moves on, especially the highly competitive international market. One of my colleagues spoke about bus tours looking to Scotland and elsewhere because they cannot get accommodation here. The tourists and bus tour operators will go elsewhere, and tourism businesses in destinations where 20% or more of their bed stock is under contract are struggling to get going in off season. As I mentioned, it is budget accommodation that is gone, such as two- and three-star hotels and guesthouses.

The Minister has been informed that hotel bed shortages, as a result of accommodating refugees, have led to 10,000 tourism jobs being displaced in the past year, the majority of which are in the accommodation sector. That figure is staggering and is causing huge damage to tourist areas across Ireland. Some popular tourist towns have been impacted, such as Killarney, for example, where the impact on revenue to April of this year is estimated at €100 million, with 2,722 jobs being displaced. In Westport in my own county of Mayo, 898 jobs have been displaced, while Bundoran in County Donegal has seen 465 jobs go elsewhere. Westport is the jewel in the crown of Mayo tourism, with the town driving a lot of tourism for the county and surrounding region. We must keep tourists coming to County Mayo, and to do that we need hotel accommodation, to put it simply. We need reassurances from the Government and the Minister's Department for the communities affected that the decades of hard work building up the tourism industry have not gone to waste. We must hear what the plan is. I think there is an acceptance that there is not much we can do this year about tourism season 2023. What is the plan for 2024?

An analysis of all Fáilte Ireland-registered accommodation and the percentage contracted by the State shows a clear picture of what parts of the country are most impacted. In County Leitrim, 85% of all Fáilte Ireland-registered accommodation is contracted by the State; in County Longford, 70%; in County Offaly, 58%; in County Donegal, 53%; in County Mayo, 35%; in County Sligo, 44%; in County Roscommon, 40%; and in County Galway, 25%. In some of those counties - I think of Longford in particular - they are working hard to build up their tourism industry. Senator Carrigy spoke about Center Parcs and the positive impact it is having on the community. They will have no chance if they do not get tourist accommodation back in for tourists. That must be addressed in the short term, not in five or ten years' time. This reduction in tourist accommodation basically translates to a reduction in tourists coming into an area. The hotels are handsomely paid but other related businesses that rely on hotels being full of tourists are suffering, like the local pub, the local coffee shop and the local restaurant. We are losing jobs from the sector at an alarming rate. There has been an effective silence from the Government on this particular issue. What is the plan? What is the plan for next year and the year after? I am aware of the Minister's comments that there will be a reduction in reliance on accommodation in the hospitality sector, but we need to hear more detail about that and when it will happen. It does not do much to allay the fears of many of those working in this sector and those in the regions and in rural areas.

Fáilte Ireland has been reasonable in its asks for Covid-like supports for the businesses impacted, and I support it in this request. It is the least we can do, given that the damage to the sector has been inflicted by Government policy. The VAT rate will need to be extended, and a targeted rates exemption also needs to be put in place. It should not apply to hotels being well paid from their contracts with the State. People are making a lot of money and now prospective accommodation providers are speculating on property with a view to accommodating the State as opposed to providing tourist accommodation, because the former pays so much more. The immediate issues for tourism are pressure on rates, fewer touring businesses, suppressed demand and lower footfall. The longer term, systemic implications are the undermining of the viability of a complex ecosystem of tourism, SMEs and ancillary service providers. Tourism is a complex ecosystem. The knock-on impact has already been alluded to. with many different businesses rely on each other for success and the destination's attractiveness. That point is key. If the attractiveness of a particular destination takes a hit, all the tours and businesses in that area are affected. This is a long-term problem which is difficult to reverse. It takes years to build up a good reputation and only minutes to destroy it.

Has the Minister discussed extensively with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and party leaders what the plan is? What alternatives will be put in place? When will we see the rapid-build modular housing we were expecting? Has the use of Army barracks been explored? There is an acceptance, as I said, that we did what we needed to do for the past year because it was an emergency situation, but it has been over a year now and we need to hear a plan for next year. This issue is not going to go anywhere. We need to know what will happen for season 2024, 2025 and beyond.

We need a clear commitment from Government that there is an intention to stop contracting tourist accommodation for State purposes. As long as this gravy train keeps chugging, people will speculate and invest in accommodation for State purposes. We want and need tourist accommodation back for tourists. If tourists do not come to our regions, we will not have the knock-on businesses which depend on it. I think of a town in County Mayo, Newport. The greenway goes through the town and because of tourists coming in a bike shop and two coffee shops opened and the hotel reopened. That is the impact of tourism on an area in the regions. If it remains as lucrative as it is now to provide accommodation to the State, then some of the hotel accommodation currently contracted will never come back into the system. Something must happen now. To end on a positive note, we can see the problem coming down the tracks. Let us put a plan in place and do something about it now.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I thank the Senators for their comments. I am aware that the impacts of using tourism accommodation to meet humanitarian needs are being felt far beyond the provision of accommodation. Accommodation will do well this summer. A number of downstream tourism businesses are experiencing reduced footfall due to a lack of tourists in their areas.My officials are engaging with a range of Departments, with input from colleagues in Fáilte Ireland. We are not working in silos. Fáilte Ireland work with me and I asked for all of its data. That request comes from my officials, so it can be fed to Cabinet colleagues in Cabinet, not the other way around. I have raised my concerns consistently with Cabinet colleagues and I have asked my officials and Fáilte Ireland to do further work on this issue. That work will focus on the emerging trends in the 2023 season, with particular focus on those parts of the country that are most affected by the loss of tourism accommodation. It will assess what mitigation measures could be considered if the scale of the impact is sufficient to warrant this. I have requested this from Fáilte Ireland, so in case Senator Chambers hears something in a few months' time about how Fáilte Ireland has done something, we have been working together and that is how it should be. It would never be that Fáilte Ireland would be working separately from the Department. We work well together and that is how we managed throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

I will try to address as many concerns as possible. Many issues have been raised and if I do not get to all of them, I will communicate by email. Senator Boyhan raised the regional spread and it is critical we continue to ensure greater regional spread of the socioeconomic benefits of tourism. To achieve this, Fáilte Ireland has developed a regional tourism development strategy in partnership with the local authorities, the State agencies, communities and industry partners. To deliver the strategy, Fáilte Ireland is creating a destination experience development plan where there will be local area action plans across each region. There will be 24 active destination plans by the end of the year, and 36 by the end of 2025 so, in short, every part of the country will have a dedicated tourism development action plan created in partnership with the local stakeholders.

Regarding the concerns around pricing in hotels, this issue was raised by Senators Cassells, Byrne, Boyhan and Carrigy, if not by even more Senators. Businesses continue to face significant cost pressures due to inflation and other economic factors. Nonetheless, there seems to be an increase in the frequency and scale of price spikes in the accommodation sector. There is definitely an issue there. As we see this weekend, this often coincides with sporting events or concerts. These spikes damage our reputation, the reputation of the sector, and of Ireland globally in terms of offering value for money. As I have said all along, it is really important that Ireland maintains its reputation as a value for money destination. It is important that the balance is struck and for the industry to maintain that value for money proposition for Irish tourism in the longer term. As I have informed this Chamber before, Fáilte Ireland wrote to all registered accommodation providers in December asking each and every business to consider Ireland's long-term value for money. The CEO of Fáilte Ireland repeated this message at Fáilte Ireland's recent industry information events. Even today it was reported that although Fáilte Ireland has no role in the setting of accommodation prices, the increase in the frequency and scale of price spikes in the sector is damaging the industries reputation nationally and internationally, and that is not acceptable. It does damage to other hotels outside cities where the tourism industry is really important to the vibrancy and the economic and social wellbeing of rural communities.

On concerns about the knock-on impact to the wider tourism ecosystem raised by most Senators, my Department participates in the senior officials group on Ukraine. That group meets on a weekly basis and my officials raise concerns about impacts on the tourism sector arising from the humanitarian response there. I have communicated with my Cabinet colleagues on many occasions and with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. My officials and Fáilte Ireland have regular engagement with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman's Department. I refer to the body of work I have asked Fáilte Ireland to do. It is really key and only prudent to be ready and not to ask, "What do we do?" when the data is gathered. Everything has to be evidence-based and data has to be gathered but we need to have those mitigation measures in place and ready to go.

As Senator Malcolm Byrne said, we developed the experience during Covid-19 of what type of targeted measures could support tourism businesses to trade and survive, such as the really successful business continuity supports for which I got funding. Fáilte Ireland was excellent in getting to the businesses that needed them, that is, that strategic tourism. That has to be considered. Other matters that may need to be considered, include rates reliefs and targeted marketing campaigns, but we have to be innovative and ready to go. That is why I have asked Fáilte Ireland to do this work and then report back. I hope to have the conclusions before the end of this Dáil term.

Another concern raised by Senator Boyhan was around what I am doing to support the development of marketing campaigns. In budget 2023, I secured additional funding of €15 million for overseas marketing of Ireland. That was after 2022's once-off pump-prime investment of €35 million. Of course, additional money has gone in. Senator Boyhan mentioned the domestic market because that is a critical part of our tourism economy and we might even need to rely on it more under the current circumstances.

In recruitment and retention, there is the employer excellence programme. Senator Boyhan might be interested to know that Fáilte Ireland designs and delivers a diverse portfolio of Fáilte Ireland's own and co-created festivals that are critical for developing tourism in rural areas. Senator Dolan mentioned a new festival funding stream that is open. That is actually under the arts section and not under Fáilte Ireland. That is separate again but it shows why those two sections work well in this Department.

Local transport options are vital to regional tourism, covering all modes of transport. That has been identified as an issue to be covered in the new tourism policy.

As for skills and conditions, Fáilte Ireland has invested significantly in measures to improve attractiveness. I mentioned the employer excellence awards, the first edition of which was last month. Regarding pay issues and employment law, that is not within my remit but I co-chair the hospitality and tourism forum with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney, and I will raise those points with him.

The online passport service is fast and excellent. The majority of people use that but whether there is a strategic need for a physical office in Belfast is something my officials can raise with the Department of Foreign Affairs. Senator Wall mentioned the night-time economy. There is huge potential here for breathing life into rural towns and communities. I hope the €1 million I announced yesterday for museums and galleries, of which there are more than 80 dotted across the country, will be wonderful for breathing life into rural Ireland.

In regard to forest parks, there is great potential in this area and Fáilte Ireland is developing a positive partnership with Coillte. I refer to the treetop walk in Avondale. Outdoor experiences - slow tourism based on walking and cycling - have great growth potential. I really look forward to pushing this as a priority. I agree that building links with the national parks has massive potential and my officials have discussed this with the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan's Department.

On just transition, the challenge will be to utilise the full value of the €68 million within the four-year window but Fáilte Ireland is looking at the tourism activators and we can feed Senator Dolan's observations back to it. On any information I can get the Senator on those schemes and grants, I will make sure my officials contact her. I will also feed the information on trail developments back to Fáilte Ireland.

Senator Malcolm Byrne raised short-term lettings. I am waiting for an outline from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage as to what its planning guidance will say. I know that seems to be the burring issue coming from my engagement with stakeholders and from engagement with the committee of which the Senator is a member. I received a communication this week from the Oireachtas joint committee. It is awaiting communication from the Department on the planning guidelines, and getting that clarity is absolutely essential. I agree a sensible proportionate approach needs to be taken, especially in rural areas where short-term properties do not have a significant impact on housing availability. The EU standstill on consideration of our proposals until December gives us time to get this right and I fully understand that short-term lets are a key part of the rural tourism offering.

I agree with Senator Boyhan's concerns that we need to tap into the wealth of our culture and arts. When I am on trade missions abroad, I find that is the attraction of coming to Ireland. Our wealth of culture and arts is among the great tourism offerings we have but we are also developing the new tourism policy that will mainstream sustainability. Senator Boyhan talked about our food and so on. All of that will come into that policy as well as longer stays and the regions.

Senator Carrigy mentioned car hire. Officials from my Department and Fáilte Ireland meet the representatives from the tourism sector, including the Car Rental Council of Ireland monthly. These meetings are hosted by Fáilte Ireland.Also, there is the hospitality and tourism forum the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney, and I co-chair. The forum is due to meet again in the coming weeks. Representatives of the Car Rental Council of Ireland will be present at this forum. It is not within the immediate control of Government and there are no quick solutions but I continue to urge all components of the wider tourism community to be mindful of the long-term impact of pricing on the value proposition which is critical to Ireland's ability to attract and retain tourists. We want tourists to come back again.

Gabhaim buíochas leis na Seanadóirí as a gcuid ionchuir maidir leis an gceist thar a bheith tábhachtach seo. Is tionscal tábhachtach dúchasach é an turasóireacht agus teastaíonn cur chuige comhbheartaithe agus coiteann chun aghaidh a thabhairt ar na dúshláin.

Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for engaging with the House here today. That concludes the statements on tourism.

When is it proposed to sit again?

Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
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Next Tuesday at 12.30 p.m.