I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter for debate on the Adjournment and I thank the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism for being present for the debate.
I wish to discuss the overall spending on tourism promotion, nationally and in the regions. I am concerned at the share of funding which comes to counties Cavan and Monaghan. How is spending on tourism promotion targeted at specific areas of the country? Is funding allocated on a one-off basis or does it simply follow successful tourism areas on the coastline?
Before a region can attract large numbers of tourists, it must have a tourism infrastructure and projects in place. The national development plan states, "The tourism product development scheme will have a significant impact on regional programmes for the BMW region."
According to operational guidelines produced by Bord Fáilte for the National Development Plan 2002-2006, support will be available at a maximum rate of 40% in the Border, midlands and west region subject to a maximum of €644,000. Projects must be capable of attracting 100,000 visitors per annum, a stipulation that is almost unachievable in a region that has little or no tourism. How is a region to get to 100,000 visitors without a tourism infrastructure or tradition? It is impossible. Since this is a condition of the application process, applicants from Monaghan and Cavan are precluded and the region is, therefore, prohibited from tapping into an industry that is worth €5 billion annually.
Applications were invited from counties Monaghan and Cavan for projects categorised as special interest projects in September 2002. Not surprisingly, no applications from Monaghan were considered. We were not advanced enough at that time even to apply. We would now like to apply but applications are not being considered because the decisions on the 2002 applications have not been reached yet. It has taken 18 months to process those applications.
We should be promoting areas of Monaghan such as Kavanagh country, the Sliabh Beagh area, Lough Muckno and the Ballybay wetlands. These are all excellent projects although I do not envisage any of them attracting 100,000 visitors. More consideration should be given to such projects.
The Cavan-Monaghan area has much natural attraction but lacks tourism infrastructure. Bord Fáilte statistics for 2002 show County Monaghan receiving €10 million from foreign direct investment and total tourism budget of €5.3 million. We are very far down the pecking order. Will the Department consider appointing a special adviser to areas where tourism is undeveloped? The application process appears to be designed to put people off applying. Simple applications are made complicated by the application process which is far too daunting for most places.
Must we spend millions promoting the Blarney Stone, Killarney, the Cliffs of Moher, Mullaghmore in Sligo or County Donegal? Do we need to spend money promoting such places or are people attracted to them automatically? It is the small inland counties that suffer greatly and do not gain from the bonanza. Tourism is an industry that employs as many as 150,000 people. When people arrive, should we simply give them a road map of our coastline? I believe that is the way we are heading. We in Counties Cavan and Monaghan observe what is happening. We heard about a GAA club in Dublin that was asked to provide a set of plans to be assured of a payment of €200,000 for the development.
Two clubs, of which the Minister for Finance is a member, received €450,000. That is more than what Counties Monaghan and Carlow combined received and is the same as what Counties Laois and Leitrim have received. We heard that the Minister's constituency, Kerry South, received more than the combined counties of Carlow, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Monaghan, Sligo and Westmeath. That is very frustrating. A GAA club in Letterkenny, County Donegal, received two cheques in two years, one for €500,000 and the other for €450,000. I believe counties like ours deserve a lift.