For counties such as Mayo, tourism is a critical economic driver. The Wild Atlantic Way has helped to showcase the extraordinary beauty of our coastline, our islands, our heritage and our communities. Yet, despite the success of these attraction, there remains significant untapped potential that requires sustained investment and support from Government. I am glad to hear the Minister talk about the oversight group and that the local authorities are part of it because it is often the case that the necessary joined-up thinking is not seen and we do not get the basics right. Keem Bay beach in Achill was named one of the best beaches in the world. That is really significant. There is an opportunity to establish a visitor centre to keep people in the area and to provide a better experience for them. It is very important that opportunity is taken. If we are to be serious about growing tourism, we must be serious about the connectivity and infrastructure that is needed to maximise the outcomes from the money that is invested in tourism, including money invested in advertising abroad to attract people here. Tourism cannot thrive if visitors cannot easily reach destinations, move between regions and access attractions. Too often, the Government speaks about promoting tourism while failing to invest adequately in the transport networks and public infrastructure that underpin the sector. This is especially true in the west and north west. We cannot expect regions like Mayo to realise their full tourism potential when transport links remain inadequate and investment lags behind demand. Visitors expect and need a seamless travel experience. They want reliable rail connections, accessible bus services, safe roads, quality walking and cycling infrastructure and straightforward information about how to get from one destination to another. However, many still encounter fragmented transport services, poor integration between providers and limited public transport options outside of our main cities. It goes without saying that we need stronger links between airports and ports and towns in tourism destinations. I will give the Minister an example. Ireland West Airport, Knock, recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. I wanted to get from Castlebar to Knock to get a flight from Knock Airport. I wanted to use public transport. Just trying to find out about the bus service that connects Castlebar to Knock proved to be an onerous task in trying to do that. I went to the bus stop to see what was displayed there. There was nothing whatsoever displayed on the bus stop in Castlebar. It is the small things like that which need to be addressed to ensure people avail of the services that are even there. I commend all the bus drivers. It was quite an experience. Getting on the bus to Knock, I saw that I could not tap my card. It does not take a card; you have to have cash. If you do not have cash, what do you do in that situation? Besides the security issues that arise for drivers who have to provide their own floats, that is not good enough in 2026. When we talk about overarching and high-level stuff, we need to get the lower-level stuff right. That is the point that I want the Minister to go away with today. We need the stronger links. We need to get the basics right in tourism. We need transport providers that communicate with each other and provide integrated information and ticketing timetables. We need improved connectivity. It is not simply a tourism issue; it is a regional development issue as well. When we match up regional development with tourism, that is how we are going to get our maximum outcomes for what is needed. As a party Sinn Féin understands that tourism policy and regional development policy go hand in hand. Better transport links help attract visitors, support local businesses, create employment opportunities and make rural communities more sustainable places to live and work in. These communities that welcome visitors must receive the infrastructure and services necessary to support increased tourism activity, such as public toilets, parking facilities and broadband connectivity. So many local community groups are doing really good work in developing tourist attractions and walkways, for example. They have to beg and beg for public toilets to be put on the local beach and to be supported in that way. That is not right. These things should become more automatic that those services are there. There is little value in encouraging visitors to travel to rural Ireland if we fail to provide the infrastructure needed to support them once they arrive. It is obvious to us in Sinn Féin that the future success of Irish tourism requires a stronger all-island approach. Tourism Ireland was established as one of the formal areas of cross-Border co-operation under the Good Friday Agreement because it offers enormous potential to international visitors. International visitors do not see the island as two separate tourism destinations. They see Ireland as a single destination. Our tourism strategy should reflect that reality. Major tourism initiatives like the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland's Ancient East and Ireland's Hidden Heartlands should be developed further on an all-island basis. Expanding and connecting these initiatives across the island would create a more seamless experience for visitors, encourage longer stays and increase spending in local economies, North and South. Again, an all-island tourism strategy must be matched by all-island connectivity. An unfortunate consequence of Brexit saw the British Government introduce the electronic travel authorisation requirement for international visitors. This has made additional barriers for tourists travelling between the North and South. It is something that has to be dealt with once and for all.

Sentiment score: 0.21