Vol. 466 No. 4
251 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the incentives, if any, available for the provision of tourist accommodation such as bed and breakfast establishments, self-catering flats and hotels; if so, whether these incentives are available for areas such as Inishowen, County Donegal, which are underfunded by Leader and the county enterprise boards. [11734/96]
The provision of tourist accommodation is a matter for the tourism industry and depends primarily on individual operator's commercial judgement as to the manner in which to respond to levels of demand. The industry has responded well to market forces and there has been a steady expansion in tourist accommodation, especially in recent years.
All registered and approved tourist accommodation has been deemed eligible for low interest loans under the access to finance scheme launched last September by the Minister for Enterprise and Employment. The sum of £52 million of this £208 million fund has been specially earmarked for tourism projects throughout the country. A similar scheme especially for the Border counties, including of course Inishowen, was recently introduced under the Peace and Reconciliation Fund. Investment in registered or approved tourist accommodation in any of the resort areas designated under the pilot tax relief scheme for certain resort areas may also qualify for generous tax relief under the scheme.
The Operational Programme for Tourism provides assistance for accommodation in very specific circumstances, that is, for specialist accommodation at recognised outdoor pursuit centres, branded walking routes and approved residential equestrian centres.
