27th November, 2002
Dr. Henry: I welcome the Bill. It is good to see such an emphasis being put on tourism. In view of international competition, tourism must be promoted and it essential that the country be shown in a positive light. However, a recent innovation, one to which I strongly object, shows us in a very bad light. Aer Rianta has introduced a refundable one euro charge for baggage trolleys at Dublin Airport. I was at the airport yesterday morning with American visitors who only had dollars. I had no euro either because I was returning from abroad. Prior to the introduction of the charge it was difficult to get a trolley but now there is no problem because nobody has euro to use them. By the time tourists have changed currency they would have secured their baggage and left the airport.
While Aer Rianta is not the responsibility of the Minister, it should be reprimanded for this development. It is the most unwelcome way to bring anyone into the country. There is a conflict in the Government about how near we are to Boston or Berlin. While similar charges apply in American airports, I am not aware of their application in any other European airport. They should be stopped immediately. It is outrageous that older tourists especially may be left to drag their baggage to taxis.
With regard to the Bill, several Senators referred to the importance of good pricing. It is now very easy for visitors from countries in the eurozone to make price comparisons and given the parity in value between the dollar and the euro, Americans can do the same. By comparison with countries of which I have most experience, such as France and Italy, prices here for food and accommodation are higher. When I mention this to restaurateurs and hoteliers they say one of their big problems is the cost of insurance. Those involved in these businesses are not overpaid, nor do they appear to be making exorbitant profits. If insurance cover is a big problem I hope the Minister will address it.
By comparison with the United Kingdom, services here are much better value. Fortunately, British tourists are easier to attract than those who live further away. However, the Minister should ensure that the promotion of Ireland emphasises that the country is peaceful because there is a misconception that there has been trouble throughout the island, which has not helped the industry. Many Americans consider Europe to be too near the Middle East and, therefore, too much at risk from terrorist activities.
Food in the country has attained a high quality and Bord Bia has done good work in stressing the use of Irish ingredients. We owe a great debt of gratitude to those such as Mertyl Allen of Ballymaloo who told us what could be done in this area. Most hotels and restaurants and especially farmhouse accommodation and historic places produce meals of the highest standard.
The lack of Irish staff in hotels and restaurants is a cause of concern. Large numbers of staff are immigrants and while they are very good, many cannot speak English and know little or nothing about the district in which they work. Tourists hope to meet locals and find out about the places they visit. While I favour the training of personnel for the hotel industry from Slovakia and other eastern European countries, there is a need to ensure that there are plentiful numbers of Irish staff at the front line.
I recently attended a family funeral in County Cork, which follows County Kerry in terms of natural beauty and tourism attractions. All of the family houses being full I stayed in a small hotel where breakfast was prepared and served by one of my cousins. I was surprised to learn that her friend who ran the hotel was short of Irish staff and had asked her to help, given that her training was in what used to be called domestic economy. I hope similar local initiatives occur elsewhere because it helps if breakfast is served by someone with whom tourists can interact.
I hope foreign staff are not being exploited in the industry. There is a need to ensure that they are treated in the same way as Irish employees and that there is a good mix of staff at the front line.
We complain a Iot about the weather but our spectacular rainfall has given the country some advantages. I have been told that more people come here to visit our gardens than to play golf. I do not know if this is true because it was told to me by a very enthusiastic gardener who also has a craft shop in the middle of a beautiful garden in County Wicklow. We have spectacular gardens throughout the country and they are now open for longer periods during the year. I went to see a very famous garden in Italy last year and if one had visited the same garden here, one would have said it had a few well cut shrubs and nothing else. We have beautiful herbaceous borders all summer and magnificent trees and we need to promote those because they are unique. We should profit from what we have in the way of rainfall rather than complaining about it all the time.
Bord Fáilte was excellent at helping people who were organising conferences and I hope that new unit will be helpful in that regard also. I am a member of various international organisations and when the subject of where to hold the next conference comes up, I keep my head down and look at the green vase on the table because everyone wants to come to Ireland and I would be the person who would have to organise it. I realise we do not have big conference centres but we have plenty of space for small conferences which can be more profitable because people come for pre-conference and post-conference tours, and they keep coming back.
I was impressed when Senator Feighan talked about backpacking around the world and that we should take care of the backpackers because they are the tourists of the future. They may have visited here in their 20s and decide to come back in the future when they have more money. That is important.
The point Senator Kitt made about public transport is important. It is sometimes extraordinarily difficult to get around this country on public transport. I am one of those unfortunates who has got off the Rosslare ferry only to see the train departing in the distance because it does not meet the ferry; it does not go there at all now. Public transport is a problem and I am aware it is being addressed by the Minister for Transport but we have an awful lot to do in that area. Synchronisation of tickets on the buses in Dublin would be a good idea also.
An alarming development in the car hire business was brought to my attention the other day by someone who arrived here and tried to hire a car. This American man has a house in County Wexford but he could not hire a car because he was over 70. I do not know if all car hire firms are introducing this regulation but it would be serious if that sort of problem arises. This man's wife managed to hire a car because she was under 70 but if we start to refuse car hire to people over 70, who are big spenders and who, as Professor Des O'Neill of Trinity College Department of Geriatrics told me, have good driving records, it would be a very serious development.
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