Vol. 477 No. 4
5 Mr. B. Smith asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the funding, if any, available for the development and upgrading of tourist information offices; the source of such funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9349/97]
The six regional tourism authorities together with Shannon Development operate a national network of tourist information offices. Those authorities are currently carrying out their Tourist Information Offices Investment Programme 1994-1999 to upgrade their offices through building work, outfitting and installation of new technology. Funding and resourcing for the programme based on 1993 projections is as follows:
|
£m |
|
|
ERDF |
6.9 |
|
INTERREG (Border areas) |
1.0 |
|
Bord Fáilte — Capital Development Fund |
2.4 |
|
RTA funds |
1.7 |
This represents a projected investment of £12 million to the end of the decade. While all offices will benefit from the installation of new technology, the prioritising and targeting of particular locations for upgrading or development are matters for the regional tourism authorities and Shannon Development.
I thank the Minister for his reply and I am glad to note that substantial funding is available towards the improvement of the tourist office information network. The Minister will be aware of the disastrous situation in County Cavan where the tourist office in the county town is in a building around which there has been a hoarding for a considerable time. The Minister met a deputation, visited the office and saw that it is in inadequate. This matter was raised previously in this House and at committees. Will the Minister use his influence with Bord Fáilte and the regional tourism organisation to put in place a proper tourist office in Cavan town as a matter of extreme urgency?
The Deputy has gone into a specific area in the context of this question.
This is a matter of grave concern to the people of Cavan. It was raised here by the Deputies Smith, Boylan and others. I met a deputation when I was travelling south from Donegal and looked at the building. It is structurally unsafe and is not suitable for use as a tourist information office in an area which has good potential for investment and the generation of tourism revenue now and in the future.
I communicated my concern about this matter to Bord Fáilte and I will do so again following the Deputy's request. I had a brief consultation with the local authority on the occasion I met the deputation and I will take the matter up again with it and with the regional tourism organisation manager. I am not happy that visitors to Cavan should have to call to that tourist office, around which there is a hoarding, to obtain information. It is right and fitting that Cavan town should have a proper tourist information office and that people from around the region wishing to avail of the facilities and delights of the region should have access to valuable information in a bright and well decorated office. I will follow up this matter.
I welcome the Minister's remarks. In his earlier reply he indicated the investment programme would be targeted at the areas where the present infrastructure is totally deficient. I do not believe there is any other tourist office as inadequate as the one in Cavan. Will the Minister stress to the officials in the relevant organisations that we need capital assistance as a matter of urgency to put in place a proper office to avail of and develop the great tourism potential of the area? The Cavan area needs regeneration following the difficulties it faced for a period of 25 years. The county needs to develop the tourism industry if it is to have any hope of regenerating the local economy.
That decision is a matter for the regional tourism organisation which prioritises areas it considers deserve prioritisation. That is why the programme of money was laid out in the way it was. If it remained in the realm of the Minister of the day, there would be claims of slush-funding activities or political bias. That is why the RTO is expected to draw up a priority list and state the agenda it will follow. I will take up this matter. I, as well as the Cavan people, am concerned about this and I hope that some progress can be made to provide a decent office from which visitors to the area can obtain information.
The Minister is aware there are a number of other tourist information offices operating throughout the country. Is some of the funding from the four sources he mentioned used to run those offices? Are they in the main or exclusively set up with the co-operation of the RTO or are they mainly depending on funding from Leader or some such programme and operating in a semi-independent way separately from the main tourist information service?
There are a variety of such offices. The six regional tourism authorities and Shannon Development operate a national network of tourist information offices. They are open all year round in key locations and in other areas seasonal offices are open where they are justified by tourist demand. In 1996 the network comprised 94 tourist information offices, of which 38 were open all year round and 56 were seasonal offices. They deal with about 3.7 million callers each year as well as approximately 1.5 million telephone and postal inquiries. At locations which do not justify a tourist information office but where visitor demand or potential exists the RTAs and Shannon Development establish tourist information points. These are either display or sales stands or tourist literature at visitor attractions or in tourist related businesses.
Dublin Tourism operates all year round in Suffolk Street, Dublin Airport, Dun Laoghaire, Tallaght and Baggot Street Bridge. In the Shannon Development Area tourist offices in Ennis, Limerick, Shannon Airport and Tralee are open all year round as well as others in various localities.
The following TIOs have benefited to date under the current 1994-99 operational programme and INTERREG II Border programmes. All the facilities in addition to receiving EU funding have received assistance from Bord Fáilte's capital development fund. They include Blarney TIO and the Skiberreen office which was enlarged and outfitted, in Dublin City the office in Suffolk Street, Dun Laoghaire TIO and offices in County Louth, County Roscommon and County Sligo. Tourist information offices in Bantry in County Cork and Dingle and Killarney in County Kerry have been the subject of operational funding approval but construction work on them has not yet begun.
