The eight regional tourism organisations continue to play an important role in the developing and servicing of tourist traffic. The 107 tourist information offices provide a comprehensive service to visitors and the computerised room reservation service which Bord Fáilte introduced last year is of particular value both to tourists and to providers of accommodation. Last year, the information offices serviced 1.6 million inquiries and booked 380,000 bednights. The regional organisations produced and distributed 3½ million pieces of holiday literature during the year.
The success of the "Discover Ireland" campaign aimed at promoting home holidays, will depend to a great extent on the regional organisations who have a major role to play in encouraging more of our own people to spend their holidays in Ireland. These organisations are involved in arranging for more entertainment for visitors. Notwithstanding progress in this field, I consider that we need a further extension of entertainment facilities for holidaymakers. There is scope here for private enterprise development working with hoteliers and the regional tourism organisations.
The short season and the scarcity of trained hotel and catering staff, particularly at peak periods, are still a source of some difficulty for both staff and management. Progress in the training of staff continues. Last year 1,000 young people received training under the auspices of CERT—the Council for the Education and Recruitment and Training for the Hotel Industry—and the council are working with the vocational education authorities in providing training for personnel already in the industry, through day release and sandwich courses.
I scarcely need say that the tourist industry is going through a very difficult period, mainly as a result of the unrest in Northern Ireland, economic difficulties abroad and rising prices. Tourist revenue in 1970, the latest year for which returns are available, is estimated at £99.1 million, a rise of only £400,000 on the previous year.
The general picture for 1970 was that traffic from Britain and Northern Ireland showed a decline while returns from North America and Continental Europe just about hold their own.
An official estimate of 1971 tourist traffic will not be available until next year. However, the latest passenger figures indicate that for the first nine months of the year tourist traffic from all areas, excluding Northern Ireland, showed an increase of 1.1 per cent as compared with the same period of 1970. It is expected that traffic from Northern Ireland will show a decrease of about 9 per cent this year.
The problems affecting tourism pose a serious challenge for everybody connected with the industry. There are some problems about which the tourist industry can do little, but this does not mean that they should confine their contribution to bemoaning the Northern Ireland situation or the effects of unemployment in Britain or international foreign currency crises. We must make an honest appraisal of the problems involved and identify those which lie within our control. So far as the State is concerned, the Government realise that any programme of tourist promotion and development requires substantial investment and it is for that reason that, notwithstanding a difficult budgetary position this year, they have allocated nearly an extra £2 million for tourism this year.
At the level of the industry, I know that there is a willingness to examine the root causes of problems affecting tourism and to tackle these problems in a workmanlike way. Bord Fáilte have organised meetings with all tourist interests in the regions to effect a full exchange of views and to develop a greater consciousness of tourism's needs. In undertaking this operation and in highlighting areas in which operators can improve their products and services, the industry is displaying a realism in keeping with the needs of the future.
Bord Fáilte have carried out an in-depth examination of their own organisation and a major restructuring designed to ensure the best allocation of resources and the most effective operation. In their marketing activities, the board have decided that in present circumstances the most fruitful areas for concentrated marketing activities lie in ethnic traffic from Britain and North America, activity holidays, incentive travel and promotional work in areas of Europe which have not previously featured in the board's plans. To improve the product, Bord Fáilte are placing a new emphasis on high standards and value for money and are providing an additional range of advisory services in such areas as campaign planning and integrated marketing. The board have set up a new conference bureau to promote conference business and incentive travel. In addition to the overseas marketing activities, Bord Fáilte have now embarked on the promotion of domestic holidays. This programme has my full support and I hope that the many Deputies who take a close interest in tourism will use their influence in encouraging home holidays.
I keep in constant touch through Bord Fáilte with developments in the tourist field. In addition, I meet the other State agencies concerned, the National Tourism Council and the various private interests in the industry. I am fully committed to the need for intensive marketing and promotional work, especially during these difficult times, as a means of counteracting the adverse factors affecting tourism growth. Deputies will recall in this regard that last year I arranged for Bord Fáilte to undertake a special additional promotional campaign in our main markets. More recently, at my suggestion, the board re-examined their budget for 1971-72 and have reallocated an additional £250,000 to be spent on marketing and promotional work in the current year.
Although I have dwelt on the problems affecting tourism, I am confident in the long-term prospects of further tourism growth. We cannot expect any expansion of earnings this year and one must be cautious about forecasts for next year, particularly in view of the continued unsettled position in the North. I believe, however, that we now have a better-organised industry than ever before and that the industry will prove resilient in meeting and overcoming the present difficulties and in resuming the growth pattern to which we had become accustomed in the sixties.
The Shannon Free Airport Development Company Limited fall within my responsibility in so far as they relate the promotion of tourism and the development of traffic at Shannon Airport.
In general, the "Castle" tours and banquets promoted by the company have been successful in attracting considerable numbers of tourists. They are also a means of providing tourists with a form of entertainment that is truly Irish in character. The "Rent an Irish Cottage" scheme promoted by the company in conjunction with local interests has met with success since its first season. Building works are in hands or planned for further cottages throughout the region. The essential characteristic of this scheme is the active involvement of the local people so that as much as possible of the economic and social benefits will be gained by small communities off the main tourist routes.
So far I have been dealing in the main with matters relating to the activities of State sponsored bodies under the aegis of my Department. It will be appreciated, however, that the affairs of these organisations involving such matters as legislation, financing and general co-ordination of policies, give rise to a very substantial volume of work in my Department. In addition the Department were directly responsible for the administration of a big volume of legislation relating to road, sea and air transport. While developments and work in this area are impossible to quantify, the House may be interested to hear of some of the activities involved.
Under the Road Transport Acts, the Department regulate the carriage of merchandise and passengers for reward and this involves the operation of a licensing system for hauliers, coach operators, et cetera. Deputies will recall that under the terms of the Road Transport Act, 1971, the carriage of cattle, sheep and pigs was removed from the scope of the Road Transport Acts so as to allow their carriage for reward without a merchandise licence. The Act also liberalised road haulage in that it permitted each holder of an “existing carrier” licence to carry all classes of merchandise throughout the State with the same number of vehicles which he had plated on 1st January, 1969, without any restriction as to vehicle weight other than those contained in Road Traffic legislation. In addition, existing carriers whose area of operation had previously covered the State were authorised to licence an additional vehicle.
The Act came into force at the end of May last and I will be keeping a close watch on developments as the effects of the new legislation work through the transport industry. I would expect about a year to elapse before the legislation achieves its full initial impact. Thereafter, the need for further road transport legislation will be under continuing review. The measures which I have taken and such others as may be necessary in the future, seek to permit and encourage the emergence of larger and more efficient haulage units in the country with consequent reductions in transport costs. They will also help our hauliers to compete effectively and efficiently in haulage in Europe and in the European Economic Community.
The administration of merchant shipping legislation governing such matters as the standards of ship construction, load-line requirements, life-saving, fire-fighting and radio equipment on vessels and the certification of sea-going personnel is another important block of work. The Department have overall responsibility for the national sea rescue service network, which involves the coast life-saving service, the Naval Service, the Air Corps, the Garda, the Commissioners of Irish Lights and the Royal National Life-boat Institution. Co-ordination in the event of an incident is effected by the Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Department of Defence, Haulbowline, County Cork.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution who operate the lifeboat service are, of course, financed by voluntary subscriptions. In order to sustain the valuable services rendered by the Institution, I decided to make available to the Institution an annual grant amounting to £10,000 in the current year.
The merchantile marine offices at the principal ports are responsible for supervising the engagement and discharge of seamen and looking after matters affecting discipline on board ship and health and accommodation of seamen.
I mentioned earlier the operation of the Shipping Investment Grants Scheme and the administration of the Harbours Acts. Under the Foreshore Act, 1933, my Department manage and control State-owned foreshore to ensure that developments do not take place which are contrary to the public interest.
My Department are responsible also for control of oil pollution of the sea by ships. The relevant legislation is the Oil Pollution of the Sea Acts which give effect to an international convention on this subject. The convention has recently been amended and I intend to introduce legislation in the near future to enable effect to be given to the amendments.
Two further international conventions recently adopted are designed to deal with instances of major oil pollution following shipping casualties. Ireland took an active part in the preparation of these conventions and I propose to introduce legislation to give effect to these conventions also.
The administration of air transport legislation involves the certification of the airworthiness of Irish registered aircraft, the provision of the technical services necessary for the safety of operations at our airports and the licensing of flight personnel and ground engineers. The air traffic control service clears flight plans and maintains watch and control to ensure adequate separation and safety of aircraft in flight. The radio service provides communications with aircraft and is responsible for the provision of ground-based radio-navigational facilities for both en-route navigation and terminal area approach and landing purposes. The Meteorological Service, apart from providing information for aircraft, fulfils a general need by providing weather information for the population in general which is of course of particular interest to persons engaged in outdoor occupations such as farmers and fishermen.
In regard to air, sea, road and rail transport there are a number of international agreements and conventions to which Ireland has acceded. Compliance with these international requirements involves membership of a number of international organisations for which the Department are responsible. Membership of the European Communities will have significant implications for this country in the spheres of transport and energy and the Department have, of course, been associated with the negotiations on Ireland's application for membership of the Communities. A number of transitional concessions have been negotiated in the transport sector and attention is now being given to the preparation of legislation necessary to secure compliance with the requirements of the Treaties.
This completes my review of the principal services covered by the Estimate. If there are any aspects of these matters on which Deputies would like additional information I shall endeavour to deal with them when replying to the debate.
