I welcome the Bill. Its purpose is to increase the amount of grant-in-aid made payable to Bord Fáilte from £22 million to £50 million to support tourism capital development works. Tourism is now our second biggest industry. It supports approximately 120,000 jobs, which represents one in 12 of the workforce. When domestic tourism is taken into account the industry generates almost £3 billion annually.
Tourism has become a vital force in the economy. The industry is performing at a level of success unprecedented in its history. Statistics indicate that for the first half of this year, the number of visitors to Ireland is well ahead of target by 11 per cent while revenue is up by 13 per cent, which is better than international and European averages.
The British-Irish Agreement has opened up dramatic new horizons and has presented new opportunities to market the island as a whole. The prospect of a lasting and just peace offers exciting and new opportunities to attract a new wave of international tourists who, to date, would not have considered visiting Ireland.
The number of overseas visitors to Ireland has doubled over the past decade, from 2.4 million to 5.2 million. Foreign earnings revenue has trebled from £800 million to £2.1 billion and employment in the industry has doubled from 60,000 to 120,000. The continued promotion of a good regional spread and extension of the tourism season are vital elements in our tourism policy. I congratulate Bord Fáilte — I wish its new chief executive every success — for the professional and efficient way in which it markets and advertises the country overseas.
Local and regional marketing is of vital importance, especially in parts of the Dublin region. In many cases there is a lack of information, which has been pointed out by Bord Fáilte, including inadequate sign posting. In my constituency of Dublin North-East there are many places of historical interest and some of the best leisure facilities in the country. For example, the peninsula of Howth and Bull Island are surrounded by natural beauty. Howth has an old village atmosphere and breathtaking views. It does not have the place on the map it deserves. We should look at these issues and be more focused on local tourism amenities of this kind. Many voluntary organisations are to be congratulated for the work they have done in villages throughout Ireland, in rural and urban areas, to promote their own locality as tourism attractions.
It is vital we have a wide range of good quality transport accessible at a good price throughout the year. The considerable expansion in access has been one of the most important drivers of tourism growth in recent years. Tourism provides Ireland with a total revenue of £2.8 billion of which £2.1 billion is accounted for by out of State tourists. This significant increase has been accompanied by a welcome increase in the quality and range of access transport options available. There are now direct routes throughout the year to many of our overseas markets. However, given the rapid increase in traffic, it is difficult to fulfil the demand for facilities at some of the points of entry.
Although the bulk of tourists use cars as their main form of transport, public transport plays a vital role. Scheduled air capacity to and from Dublin, Shannon and Cork Airports increased by 70 per cent in the period 1993-7 while Irish sea routes increased by between 15 and 20 per cent with car capacity increasing at a faster rate. However, capacity on sea routes from mainland Europe has declined despite the increase in capacity in the lower fare routes, which have resulted from increased competition. It is very important, therefore, that our agents selling the country overseas are made aware that the impression that Ireland may be expensive and a difficult destination to reach is not true, although there are still improvements to be made with regard to access from certain countries, such as Spain and Canada.
The country has much going for it, with top class hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, leisure facilities, fresh water angling, sea angling and so on. We must be able to reassure potential visitors that a good quality reliable public transport system exists throughout the county, which will enable them to travel with ease from their point of entry to their destination, whether it be one of the major towns or cities or a more remote rural area. Overseas agents need to be able to provide clients with correct timetables, reservations and a knowledge of how the public transport system operates in Ireland. On a seasonal basis good year round access transport will help increase tourism performance in the off-peak seasons and encourage other sectors such as conference incentive traffic, which is lacking, particularly in the Dublin region.
Direct access to regional airports is also important to achieve our goal of improving tourism performance in all regions. I acknowledge the excellent services provided by both Irish and foreign air and sea carriers which have a very beneficial impact.
Scheduled bus transport is the most frequently used form of public transport by almost a quarter of overseas tourists. One million overseas tourists use scheduled bus services annually, with half a million using rail. Mainland Europeans are the most likely of all our overseas tourists to use public transport while in Ireland, with one-third of them using bus services, a vital component that we must get right. We must not become complacent because tourism is at an all time high. We have new customers, and we must make them old customers. That is the name of the game in business. The public transport system is a vital component. I am delighted that the Minister for Public Enterprise, Deputy O'Rourke, has given a commitment to make the necessary funding available to improve the public transport system.
I propose to share my time with Deputy Roche, if that is in order. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Wallace, who has made a valuable input into the tourism industry in an indirect way.
In Dublin particularly, litter was a major problem. If one drove through Dublin's north side one would see litter all over the place, a very bad image from the point of view of a tourist. The Minister of State has made a substantial amount of finance available to all the local authorities to set up programmes to create an awareness of litter, and that is to be welcomed. I thank the local authorities, Dublin Corporation and Fingal County Council, for the amenities they provide, the parks department in particular. I also thank Dublin's City Manager, Mr. John Fitzgerald, who has played a major role in making Dublin a better place for all. One of the biggest projects ever to be undertaken in Europe, the Dublin Bay Project, is due to commence very shortly.
