asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport if the Government endorse the Framework Development Plan for Irish Tourism, published by Bord Fáilte in April, 1989; the steps the Government intend to take to help achieve the targets in the plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Tourism Development Plan.
4.
The development plan referred to was produced and published by Bord Fáilte as part of their statutory responsibilities for encouraging the promotion and development of tourist traffic in and to the State. It outlines a new framework for the development of Irish tourism to support a doubling of tourism in the period 1988-92.
This is one of the targets set for the sector in the Government's Programme for National Recovery which includes a strategy for achieving these targets, involving: better and cheaper access; improved marketing and increased investment in tourism development.
Bord Fáilte, as the executive agency with responsibility for tourism development, have provided in their document an outline for the industry on what they consider to be the development and investment priorities for achieving the Government's targets.
Does the Minister agree with the views of the Director General of Bord Fáilte that 1989 will be a crucial year in the five year development programme for tourism? Will he agree also that the indications are, taking into account the fall-off in American tourist traffic, that the programme will not achieve its jobs target? Will the Minister accept that the plan is, if anything, in tatters at this stage?
Far from being in tatters, the plan is on target. We are very confident that we will deliver on the original targets in the five year plan. With regard to the Deputy's reference to the US market I should like to say that it is true that there was a certain softness in that market. Some of the carriers took steps recently to counteract that and those steps have been proving successful. The Deputy will be aware that the dollar has strengthened very considerably and our tourism prospects as a result should improve, even from the United States. When the dollar was exceptionally strong before there was a huge increase in the number of tourists from the United States to Ireland. However, we tend to focus too much on the United States and I should like to tell the House that the percentage increases from the continent of Europe, particularly from France and Germany, are very encouraging. We are confident that we will meet our targets.
The Minister has said he is well on target to meet the objectives of the five year plan but I should like to know if he is aware of the controversy about what constitutes a "tourist". A report on the number of UK tourists to Ireland indicated that of the 1.5 million people described as visitors only 10 per cent could be classified as visitors because the others were returning emigrants. That should be borne in mind in the context of the claim that the targets are being achieved. Will the Minister accept, in relation to the UK market, that access fares have been relatively low in the last two years. Where will he get further growth in that traffic from because I do not think access fares can continue to decrease? In relation to the American market, will the Minister agree that petrol prices and car hire costs continue to be one of our major disadvantages? Has the Minister any plans to introduce petrol vouchers for American tourists or to do anything to alleviate the high car hire costs in the coming season?
There is a little bit of woolly thinking with regard to visitors from the UK. If the House paid attention to the editorial work of The Irish Post over a number of years it will have noted that the editor was conducting a campaign, somewhat hostile to Bord Fáilte at times, about the neglect of the Irish ethnic person in Britain. On examination of the position it was very clear to me that Ireland is in competition with Spain, southern France and Italy for the holidays of those people. This is something we should keep in mind because the highly geared sales campaigns are all for Torremolinos, Malaga, Marbella and so on. We must be able to compete with those areas and attract people here. That is why Bord Fáilte have put on a very strong programme in the UK. As a result of that campaign visitors are coming here from the UK who would not have come otherwise. We must compete; competitiveness is very important. I should like to emphasise that point because some of the visitors who choose to come back to their own country are rather annoyed when people say they are not tourists but our own people coming back. We should appreciate the fact that they are coming back here——
They are very welcome.
——and not being attracted by beautiful pictures of sand and sun, our main competitors.
They are very welcome——
I am glad to hear the Deputy say that.
——but they are not using our tourism product.
I have had a great deal of correspondence indicating resentment to that attitude. I agree with the wisdom of the campaign conducted which targeted on that area of Britain so as to attract as many holidaymakers as possible, whether ethnic or non-ethnic.
The Deputy's second point related to assess fares. It is difficult to assess these fares. I agree with the Deputy that there is ne plus ultra or infra so far as the fares are concerned, there is a limit below which they cannot go and work commercially. British Midlands have taken a six flight per week slot this year. The belief by hard headed business people that there is still room in that market for development, cutting prices and providing competitive prices is still there. I take the Deputy's point that there must be a lower limit, but we are not dependent merely on access fares. High access fares were a big inhibiting factor to getting people into this country, but it was not the only aspect we targeted. We targeted activity holidays and we have brought out a set of brochures which I believe would challenge, in terms of quality, the brochures brought out by any tourism organisations in the world. These brochures highlight our golfing, equestrian, fishing, rambling, touring, yachting, sailing and cruising activities. I believe this will impact heavily, particularly, on the Continent, and the percentage increase we are getting from these countries can be attributed to clever activity holiday targeting.
The final point related to the price of petrol. The price of petrol and the cost of hiring cars is very high but this has to be seen in a broader context. Come 1992, we have to resolve a whole lot of problems in regard to excise duties — excise duties on cars, the fuel etc. This is a broader question than the Minister for Tourism and Transport can solve. It is mainly in the financial area and no doubt the House has read some of the recent statements made by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Albert Reynolds, on this matter.
In the past we provided, with mixed success, for a period of the year petrol vouchers for people from the United States. It is the visitors from the United States who tended to hire cars, and they find the cost very high. In a table of costs, our costs are very much higher than those in the United States. We are not the highest in Europe by any means, and one country which is helped very much by a system which lets car hire companies off paying excise duties is still higher than we are so far as charges are concerned. This area has been given a great deal of study and is one to which we will have to pay more attention.
Is the Minister satisfied that Bord Fáilte are doing sufficient work in the United States to attract some of the 43 million people who are reputed to be of Irish extraction to Ireland? Second, as Minister responsible for tourism, is he aware of the damage being done to Irish tourism by the long protracted angling and fishing dispute?
Please, Deputy, this is an extension of the question.
As Minister responsible for tourism, is he aware——
This is bringing extraneous matter into the question.
The Minister highlighted fishing as one of our main tourist attractions.
Will the Minister indicate to the House the steps he is taking to bring this dispute to an end?
We cannot debate all such matters here today. Let us deal with the question before us.
I think the assessment is more than 33 million people, it is about 40 million plus in the United States.
Forty-three million.
I am fully convinced that Bord Fáilte are, with comparatively limited resources, conducting an effective marketing campaign in the United States. I have had reports from the United States that their television advertising in particular has been very effective. The competition in that area is very keen because a great deal of money is invested in advertising in the United States. I am convinced that Bord Fáilte's plans for the United States and the drop in fares from that country to Ireland have been highly conducive to increasing the number of American visitors to Ireland.
Deputy McCartan for a final question.
May I ask the Minister about the fishing and angling dispute?
Please, Deputy Griffin.
Will the Minister indicate what steps he is taking to resolve this long standing dispute?
That is an issue worthy of a separate question.
It is a very important element of the tourism sector.
Deputy McCartan.
With regard to the Minister's original reply, he said one of the areas he was concentrating on was better and cheaper access. May I ask the Minister if he or his officials have had regard to the quality of the motor ferry services to and from Ireland? There seems to be some disquiet at large about the quality of that service.
The ferry services are from Dublin and Dún Laoghaire to Holyhead, Rosslare to Fishguard, Rosslare to Pembroke and Rosslare to the French ports. From the information available to me the business — which is the final acid test — particularly for car drivers is flourishing at present. The business from foot passengers has gone down but from information available to me the increase in the number of cars using the ferry is very pleasing. I am not surprised because if one looks at the prices for which four adults and a car can be taken to this country, I do not think one would get better value any place else.
Did the Minister ever hear of Cork and a ferry service?
May I ask a final supplementary?
Order, please. We have spent an inordinate length of time on this question. I am now proceeding to Question No. 5.