Vol. 516 No. 1
10 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if his attention has been drawn to the call by the president of the Irish Hotels Federation (details supplied) for a better regional distribution of the benefits of tourism; his views on whether this is a worthy objective; the proposals, if any, he has to achieve this objective; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7020/00]
23 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if his attention has been drawn to the need to achieve a better regional distribution of the benefits of tourism as highlighted at the recent annual conference of the Irish Hotels Federation; and the proposals, if any, he has to achieve this objective. [6968/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 23 together.
The recently published national development plan has as one of its core objectives the fostering of balanced regional development. Under the plan, the tourism sector will receive in excess of £350 million for tourism marketing, product development and training over the next seven years.
During these years the strategy for tourism product development will be based on the needs of areas, having regard to whether they are developed, developing or undeveloped. One of the main priorities will be to support sustainable proposals to build up an interesting mix of tourism products through support for a small number of large scale tourism attractions and for the creation and completion of clusters of mainly existing, smaller scale attractions and facilities in prioritised developing or still undeveloped areas.
The key marketing objectives in tourism under the plan are to increase tourism revenue and per diem visitor yield and to help the industry achieve a wider seasonal and regional distribution of tourist revenue, thereby contributing to sustainable development goals.
The regional marketing objectives can be partially fulfilled by Bord Fáilte through destination promotion and will be supplemented by specific measures that can provide leverage in attracting visitors to specific regions, for example, encouragement and support for special niche products which benefit particular areas.
During the past ten years growth in tourism has been unprecedented, with visitor numbers to Ireland doubling to almost six million and foreign exchange earnings tripling to over £2.3 billion. It is important to recognise that all regions have shared in this growth. However, there has been some variation in performance, in particular due to international industry trends, such as the growth in short breaks and urban tourism.
Ultimately, it is the prerogative of the visitor to determine where he or she spends a holiday, but I assure Deputies that since becoming Minister one of my top priorities has been to facilitate a more balanced seasonal and regional spread of tourism revenues and this will continue to be a central policy goal during my remaining time in office.
That is a lot of information to take in. The IHF's recent conference dealt with this. Concerns were voiced about our litter problem, which comes under the auspices of the Department of the Environment and Local Government. Will the Minister in conjunction with the Minister for the Environment and Local Government and tourism industry interests, which would be more than helpful, co-ordinate a campaign to assist local authorities in making people aware of the litter problem? I recently travelled by train from Kerry to Dublin. It is a disgraceful how much rubbish is thrown on to railway lines given that many tourists travel by rail. We must admit that Ireland is not the clean country that is advertised and we should be concerned about this.
I agree entirely with the Deputy and this matter has been highlighted on a number of occasions by various people in the media, Members of the Oireachtas and the president of the IHF. Litter has become an embarrassment. All one has to do is go outside the gates of Leinster House and walk along the pavement and one will see at least a cigarette butt for every person in Dublin. I agree with the Deputy that litter has become a major problem and, while it does not necessarily come under my Department's remit, it has been one of the main areas of contention for those involved in tourism.
Responsibility for littering does not seem to be taken by anyone. All of us seem to take it as a fait accompli and litter is accepted. However, Litter Pollution Acts are in place. I read some statistics recently and I may quote them incorrectly. However, I understand that while progress has been made, a number of years ago there were only two litter wardens in the Dublin Corporation area. At least now there are 20 but it is far short of the number required. How many litter wardens have local authorities appointed over the past number of years? All of us are guilty in this sense.
Traffic wardens could overlap as litter wardens if necessary because the only way to deal with the litter problem is to enforce the Litter Pollution Acts. The Deputy will not park her car on a double yellow line in Dublin because she knows it will to towed. Unless something is done in terms of enforcement of litter laws, we will go nowhere.
I wish to point out again that a maximum of one minute is available for both asking a question and the ministerial reply. I ask Members to adhere to that.
Does the Minister agree that the regions do not experience their fair share of tourism growth and that improved access to them is fundamental to the success of the tourism industry and the economy? Does he accept that the overcrowding and congestion experienced by tourists in urban areas influences them not to return? Does he further agree that people from the industrialised cities of the UK and Europe expect a clean, green, stress free environment when they visit Ireland but more and more that is not the reality because they cannot visit the regions? Does he accept that the problem will not be resolved by him alone and that there needs to be a move away from the compartmentalised approach to the many issues which face the tour ism industry? Will he organise an interdepartmental think-in on all these issues? Dealing with one issue in isolation will not resolve the problem. A serious challenge faces us according to the preliminary results about which we were informed earlier.
The Deputy is quite correct. I have tried and will continue to try to ensure that there is a level playing field for the regions. The seeds that we are sowing today will reap a benefit for the regions. Areas have not been recognised and marketed. The citizens of Cologne, Berlin, Paris and Rome do not necessarily want to visit Dublin and may prefer to visit other areas of Ireland. I have asked Bord Fáilte to focus on certain regions in large markets, such as Germany and France, to attract people because they are more likely to visit Irish regions. Every region and county has benefited dramatically since 1990. Dublin, Cork, Galway and Kerry have been the top earners from tourism, with dramatic increases in turnover, while Monaghan, Leitrim and Carlow are the bottom three in the league table. However, they are making themselves known as they have established county tourism boards. The Deputy's native county, Cork, has been very successful.
Targeted marketing campaigns should be implemented, which highlight the favourable aspects of various areas which do not experience a high concentration of tourists. That should help them while taking the pressure off the most popular areas currently which cannot breathe in July and August.
The local authorities would be delighted to appoint enough litter wardens if they were provided with the necessary funding. Will the Minister consult his colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, to make funding available as a priority to local authorities so that they can appoint sufficient litter wardens?
The regional distribution of tourism is important. The IHF stated that certain areas of the north-west do not have a hotel. An incentive is available to promote the concept but more help is needed from the Department in terms of the promotion of regions which have not benefited to any extent from the recent economic boom. The Minister will realise that certain areas in the north-west have not benefited, excluding Donegal.
Targeted campaigns are necessary. We must enter the French and German markets and target specific areas which match certain areas in Ireland and that is the only way Ireland will benefit. Since I allocated funding to the regional tourism authorities, they have entered the marketplace and they have benefited. The regional authority in the Sligo area is running an excellent campaign on RTE currently and I have no doubt that it will bear fruit.
Absolutely.
On the issue of litter wardens, discretionary funding is available to all local authorities, whether it is for signposting, etc., but this could be used to fund the appointment of litter wardens. All the regions have benefited from the tourism boom between 1990 and 1998. Tourism income in Dublin increased from £203 million to £474 million; from £74 million to £136 million in the south; from £136 million to £308 million in the south west; from £98 million to £187 million in the Shannon region; from £134 million to £220 million in the west; and from £78 million to £110 million in the north west. Certain regions have benefited to a far greater degree than others but they have all benefited to some extent.
