Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 April 2021
60. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the level of funding provided for Fáilte Ireland’s Platform for Growth Programme in 2021; the indicative allocations for subsequent years; when the next projects will be approved under this programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21933/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Minister mentioned earlier that substantial funding would be made available for the Platforms for Growth investment programme. It is very welcome. I sincerely hope that Fáilte Ireland is assessing the application. It can give particular consideration to places where there had been underinvestment in the past due to no fault of those areas.
Where the Minister and I come from, however, we suffered because of the Troubles. We suffer for historic reasons and we were slower getting development and tourism amenities put in place than other parts of the country. Thankfully, we are catching up but we need additional investment to drive and create more tourist attractions and further develop our tourism product to create additional employment.
To date, there have been two calls for applications under Platforms for Growth, Fáilte Ireland’s strategic, platform-based approach to large-scale capital investment in tourism product, as referred to in the question submitted by the Deputy, which targets investment in line with specific platforms. Under this overall programme, Fáilte Ireland aims to invest up to €150 million between 2019 and 2022 in developing major new visitor attractions of scale and greatly enhancing existing attractions.
Fáilte Ireland’s first call for applications under this programme in 2019 focused on heritage and cultural attractions, and invited proposals for large-scale projects of €2.5 million upwards. As I said earlier, I am informed that Fáilte Ireland is currently evaluating applications that made it through to stage 3 of the five-stage overall assessment process and that decisions are due by the end of May. As we discussed earlier, the projects that have successfully passed stage 3 will then move into the development phase. Fáilte Ireland cannot provide any indicative funding figures for Platforms for Growth 1 allocations until the evaluation process has been completed.
The results of a second targeted call for local authorities to develop activity facility centres at waterside locations across Ireland were announced on 15 April 2021. The €19 million investment announced for this platform will be used to develop world-class facility centres at 22 locations across the country where water-based activities are a key visitor attraction. Each centre will provide hot showers, changing and toilet facilities, secure storage, induction spaces, equipment wash-down and orientation points.
With specific regard to Exchequer funding allocations, Fáilte Ireland's overall Exchequer capital allocation this year for tourism product development is €32.8 million. Allocations for subsequent years will be the subject of the annual Estimates discussion with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.
I would appreciate if the Deputy could keep to his time. I am hoping to get two more questions in.
I thank the Minister for her reply. I very much welcome the fact that we will have €150 million in that particular programme over the next few short years. Our tourism product is quite rightly sold on an all-Ireland basis. We want to develop the tourism product on an all-Ireland basis with more cross-Border tourism products.
As a member of Government in January 2009, I had the privilege to launch with Ms Arlene Foster, the then enterprise Minister for Northern Ireland, the first transnational geopark in the world, namely, the Marble Arch Caves geopark in Cavan-Fermanagh. We need more projects that have international and national renown that can attract visitors from many countries overseas. As a public representative in a neighbouring constituency, I wish Ms Foster well for the future. We had the opportunity to work together on different projects over the years.
I appeal to the Minister again, when formulating policy, to ensure that the all-Ireland, cross-Border dimension is factored into all investment considerations and investment programmes.
Rest assured, having grown up on the Border, it informs much of my thinking on that all-island approach. Of course, Tourism Ireland helps with that too.
With regard to other capital investment priorities and capital funding schemes that are under way, funding provided under the National Development Plan 2018-2027 is targeted at helping support and grow tourism in rural communities, in line with the further redevelopment and promotion of regional tourism experience brands thereby developing the regions and rural Ireland. It is our natural asset as a tourist destination.
Priority areas for tourism capital investment identified under the national development plan include the development and enhancement of tourism attractions, as well as of activity-based tourism, to provide the type and quality of experience visitors seek. There is that pent-up demand. When it is safe to do so, we will be ready to welcome visitors to our shores again.
Recently I had the opportunity to attend the launch of the tourism master plan for Shannon which, again, will promote the Hidden Heartlands. The whole river master plan for the Shannon region clearly demonstrates the opportunities and potential to grow tourism in many counties. I compliment Waterways Ireland, along with all the local authorities through which the River Shannon flows, for their co-operative nature in developing this strategy.
We want to see it implemented now so we need investment. The plan gives a strategic direction and identifies necessary tourism investment. A central part of the strategy is the need to protect and enhance the environment. One can protect and enhance the environment while having a positive impact on the economy and providing employment opportunities to many rural areas.
All through that strategy is the protection of the environment and its sustainability. As we emerge from Covid, there is a huge opportunity to tap into that natural beauty we have, while protecting our environment and promoting joined-up thinking when it comes to tourism. We must tap into local attractions, cycling and walking routes, as well as local food products. That will be good for our regions and for having thriving rural communities with good employment. It makes sense to have joined-up thinking. Sustainability in tourism, as the Deputy said, is an example of that and is in that strategy. That is what we are aiming for.
