One area of this industry that is causing great concern is small family owned hotels. I do not accuse the Minister of sole responsibility for the problems in this area because I also tried to get his predecessor to take a more serious view of the matter. It is unfair that family owned businesses such as these, many of which have been owned by the same family for generations, cannot get the necessary help to upgrade their premises and compete with larger concerns which have received grant aid through different structures. If the Government is to be even handed in its dealings, it is essential that this group is looked after by whatever means are available.
I referred last Tuesday to the problem of roads, particularly the lack of progress on the N2 with regard to improvements and by-passes. Today, I wish to put on record the marked improvement that has taken place in county roads in the region, especially in Cavan-Monaghan. The previous Government more than doubled the funds available to those areas and, thankfully, the current Government has continued that policy. The improvements certainly make life easier for people who live there.
This is an even more important development from the point of view of tourism. Tourists will no longer be stuck in potholes and ditches because of dreadful roads. If we are to promote inland fisheries, particularly on the lakes and rivers in the Cavan-Monaghan area, the regional, county and by-roads are extremely important. I urge the Minister to ensure that the increase in funding in the past three years is maintained and that further increases are made. If significant progress is to be made to prepare these areas for the next century, particularly when there is reasonable funding available both through Europe and as a result of our buoyant economy, it is important that road infrastructure is developed.
The road from the west through Clones and Monaghan to Omagh is as important as the road from Donegal and Derry to Dublin. These are the two main axis routes that pass through Monaghan town. The Omagh road will be extremely important if tourists are to be brought to Monaghan through Belfast, Larne and Stranraer.
Tourism in Monaghan is in its infancy. There are no tourist figures available for Monaghan, as the county tourism officer confirmed to me this morning. The only figures available relate to the north-west region, which comprises Cavan-Monaghan, Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim. The Minister will be relieved to hear that the figures indicate that 70 per cent of visitors to the region visit Donegal. That shows how difficult the situation is for the tourism industry in Cavan and Monaghan. Another large percentage of those tourists visit Sligo as well, so only a small percentage visit Cavan, Monaghan and Leitrim.
These counties have a long way to go. They must seek more aid for their promotion, independent of the region, in the tourism market. There are unique tourism possibilities in Cavan and Monaghan. There is potential in working through cross-Border groups, such as the eastern and mid-Border regions. More money should be invested in those sectors to ensure the area gets its fair share of the national tourism cake, which is extremely impressive at present. Unless that income is spread more evenly, the lot of those who are committed to tourism in the Border area will not be improved.
The Minister spoke about extending the holiday season. Of relevance in this regard are the St. Patrick's Day parades and celebrations and the local organisations which are involved in them. Through the activities of its county council and other organisations, Monaghan has built up strong relationships with parts of Canada and North America. This morning I learned that 50 people in New Brunswick have organised to come to Monaghan to help us celebrate St. Patrick's Day next year. At present a group from Monaghan is in Toronto and Peterborough trying to attract visitors. In the Prince Edward Island-New Brunswick area we are talking about people who left Ireland in the 17th and 18th centuries. People think most emigrants left Ireland as a result of the Famine, but those people left long before the Famine. The fourth and fifth generations of descendants still want to know about their Irish roots. The President spoke in Ballybay yesterday morning, and she has just returned from Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. She referred to the fact that there are so many Irish placenames in Canada such as Emyvale, Inniskeen and Ballybay. In the Peterborough area there is North Monaghan, South Monaghan and Cavan. I spoke once to over 100 people in the vocational school in Bailieboro, South Monaghan, Toronto, not in Cavan, Ireland. The postmistress there sometimes gets letters for Cavan in Ireland rather than Cavan in Canada.
We must spend money in promoting our activities among the descendants of those who went to New Brunswick in the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as among those who went to Toronto in the early part of this century. The latter group is now retired and many of them live in Peterborough. They want to come back to Ireland, and tour operators in Canada are willing to set up charter flights for them. We must do what we can through Bord Fáilte and other agencies to facilitate them, as it does not suit elderly people to go from Peterborough to Toronto, fly to London and then get another flight to Ireland. If we can get them to come directly from Toronto to Aldergrove airport, for example, then we have a much better chance of co-operation with our friends and colleagues in the North. The situation in New Brunswick is even worse, as people must get a flight to Halifax or Toronto first before flying to London in order to come to Ireland.
We must look at these issues if we are to realise our tourism potential. The President not only remarked on placenames but pointed out that one finds Irish names such as McKenna and Traynor in Canada. The Peterborough newspaper carried an article about the visit I and my group made there. We visited the Lord Mayor's chamber one morning and an old man was waiting outside the chamber who had left Monaghan at 13. He just wanted to meet some friends from Monaghan, as he said. Even at his great age he is considering a visit to Ireland. This can have a spin-off effect if we use it properly.
The Minister is doing his bit in Cabinet to ensure that we get Objective One status, which is very important to the future of the Border and western regions. There are major structural and aid deficits in our area and Objective One status gives us an opportunity to come into line with the rest of the country. It is amazing to see the number of new hotels going up in Dublin, particularly those of the bigger consortiums. However, one worries about the prices some of these groups charge, as overcharging will militate against return business. Objective One status will provide better grant structures for our region that will allow facilities to be brought up to the standard necessary for the next century.
The Leader, INTERREG and EU Peace and Reconciliation initiatives as well as the enterprise boards have helped, but in my experience there are so many committee structures involved with these programmes that there can be long delays in getting projects off the ground. I hope that the new structures brought in after 1999 will mean that those regimes will be examined to ensure that areas get those funds as additional rather than replacement moneys. I also hope we get them in the simplest possible way. I know there must be accountability, which I favour, but if there are different groups such as INTERREG and the International Fund for Ireland involved a proposal can go from one committee to another before losing out.
The Tidy Towns competition has played a major role in improving the appearance of our towns and villages. That body and FÁS have been brilliant in helping our towns and villages enter the next century in good order, not derelict as they have been for the last 50 years. I pay tribute to all those involved in the Tidy Towns groups as well as FÁS for using the talents of people who were unemployed but who may now get jobs as a result of these schemes. That can only improve the country's economy.