Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 7 Mar 2001

Vol. 532 No. 2

Adjournment Debate. - Foot and Mouth Disease.

Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin

I thank the Minister for coming to the House at this late hour to take the debate on this very important issue.

Nothing should be done to undermine the importance of keeping foot and mouth disease out of this State. To date, the responsible approach by members of the public to the advice on foot and mouth disease from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development must be commended. I sincerely hope people's patience and sense of responsibility does not wear thin. It is crucial that we remain steadfast in our fight to keep foot and mouth disease out of this State until we get the green light.

In recent days it has become clear that the restrictions in place to prevent an outbreak of foot and mouth disease are beginning to have a negative consequence for many people. Apart from the farming sector, those working in sport and in the food industry have witnessed temporary job losses.

A sector where restrictions on the movement of people is really hurting is the tourism industry. Tonight, many people in this House would have watched the RTE news feature on the difficulties facing the tourism industry. As long as the foot and mouth disease restrictions apply, the difficulties for this industry will persist and will get worse. The Irish Hotels Federation said tonight that up to 500 conferences are in jeopardy. Last weekend in Killarney a major SIPTU conference was cancelled.

Tourism, like agriculture, is an important indigenous industry. Tourism and the catering sector account for our fastest growing industry. It is therefore crucial that a strategy be put in place to ensure that this industry is not seriously damaged over the coming weeks and months. The springtime is best described as the shoulder period, before the tourism season really takes off. A successful shoulder season is the difference between whether jobs in the industry will be seasonal or full-time. My constituency, South Kerry, which is one of the tourism capitals, is already suffering major losses. One major hotel in the area has estimated that business lost to date as a result of the foot and mouth disease restrictions is worth in the region of £10,000. The cancellation of conferences, seminars and major events, which form the bread and butter for the tourism industry at this time of the year, have resulted in staff layoffs and instructions to staff to take holidays now. Many people running golf clubs, angling clubs, walking tours, heritage sites and much more have been temporarily laid off or are on compulsory holidays. While the staff have accepted this fate in the interests of the national economy, they will simply not accept, nor should they, a situation whereby the summer tourism season is also damaged. It is crucial that a strategy be put in place by the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation. In addition, it is vital that a major campaign be put in place to sell our tourism industry post-foot and mouth disease crisis, to make good the losses now being encountered.

Last summer the tourism industry outside Dublin was greatly damaged because of industrial action undertaken at Iarnród Éireann. Tourists abandoned plans to travel to places like Kerry, Cork and Galway because they were unsure of the availability of a rail service. It is critical, in the interests of sustaining operators in the tourism industry, that they have a good summer to make good last year's losses.

The decision to cancel St. Patrick's day events has come as a great disappointment to organisers and participants, particularly those who were planning to travel from overseas. That the annual St. Patrick's day parade in Dublin will not take place means massive losses to the tourism industry. In the words of J. J. Kavanagh, chairman of the Coach Tourism and Transport Council, should the £3 billion tourism industry be allowed to disappear how and when will the situation be retrieved when the scare has passed?

The tourism industry and all those who work in it need the Minister's assistance and support during this difficult time. I appeal to him to begin discussions with all concerned as it is a worrying time for everybody involved in the industry.

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation (Dr. McDaid)

I am delighted the Deputy has raised this issue as it gives us an opportunity to consider another sectoral aspect when dealing with this particularly dreadful disease. While on the one hand I regret the decision, on the other I am delighted that common sense has prevailed and the Cheltenham racing festival has been called off. The possibility of foot and mouth disease spreading to Ireland threatens the economic security and livelihoods not just of farmers and the agriculture and food sector but potentially of every citizen. Agriculture and livestock are of such vital importance to the economy that we have to be thorough in our efforts to make sure that the disease does not spread with disastrous consequences. A series of initiatives has already been taken within the tourism and sports sectors to help reduce the danger of a spread of the disease. I outlined these in detail in my reply to a number of parliamentary questions on this subject yesterday.

The implication of the foot and mouth scare for the tourism industry, which employs more than 150,000 people and brings more than £3 billion into the economy annually, will depend on the scale and duration of associated restrictions. If there is continued negative international publicity, travel restrictions and prolonged closure of certain key tourism attractions and facilities, it could have a significant impact on the level of business this year and in subsequent years, particularly from the British market which has been one of the main engines of tourism growth in recent years.

I have arranged to meet tomorrow a delegation from the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation, ITIC, which represents all sectors of the industry to discuss the potentially serious effects on tourism. I note from a press release issued by ITIC that it estimates overseas business could be down by 15-20% for the coming year, amounting to a loss in foreign revenue of £500 million. Apparently this does not include tourism earnings from the Northern Ireland and domestic markets. ITIC says that the decision to postpone the St. Patrick's Day events is threatening to lose the country more than 10,000 people in organised groups, with the attendant revenue, during what is now the single biggest event of the year for many in the industry. I also note media comments by the Irish Hotels Federation that some of its members are already experiencing an appreciable downturn in business arising from cancellation of bookings and events.

My Department is represented on the task force which convenes daily, under the chairmanship of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, to review measures to prevent the spread of the disease. In addition, a separate high level action group, chaired by Bord Fáilte and including key ITIC representatives, has been established to monitor the situation on a continuous basis. The objective is to be in a position to actively manage issues which are affecting tourism business already booked and to limit any medium to long-term damage to the industry's image and prospects overseas. I understand that the action group is examining a number of issues, including the establishment of a helpline to deal with trade and consumer queries, clarifying the nature of restrictions to those who travel from the UK and ensuring that all tourism operators and enterprises are aware of the recommended preventative measures.

Bord Fáilte is making a number of adjustments to its promotional and marketing programmes in response to the situation, including the rescheduling of inward media and familiarisation visits. In response to the call from the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development for the cancellation of all hunting, fishing, hill walking, etc., activities, Bord Fáilte has stepped down and suspended for the time being the promotion of holidays based on such activities in the British markets and is reviewing on a case by case basis such promotions in other markets. Allowing for the sense of disappointment in relation to the cancellation of certain events, we may at least consider ourselves fortunate that this situation did not arise during the middle of the peak tourism season in July or August. That is another reason I know everyone involved is anxious to play a full and active part in the national effort under way to prevent the spread of the disease. Against that background and the unfortunate but inevitable set-back to our efforts to attract early season tourist business, I assure the tourism industry that any promotional drive temporarily stood down will be resumed by Bord Fáilte with renewed vigour once we have the all clear. Before Christmas I launched the largest ever annual tourism marketing programme for 2001 involving joint expenditure by the tourism industry and Bord Fáilte of approximately £100 million.

My Department and Bord Fáilte will keep the situation under review with a view to making appropriate adjustments to marketing and promotion activities planned for the year. Hopefully, our continuing progress in keeping the disease at bay could, in time, enable us to review the scope and nature of some preventative measures, including travel advice, cancellation of events and closure of tourism facilities and attractions. While we are clearly conscious of the imminent threat to agriculture, our objective must also be to ensure that no unnecessary medium to long-term damage is done to the tourism industry, which is so important in economic terms. The tourism industry has been performing exceptionally well in recent years. Let us hope that we can sustain that growth once this crisis has passed.

The Dáil adjourned at 11 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 8 March 2001.