Rose Conway-Walsh: Fix Transport to Unlock Mayo Tourism

Minister, 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, of our islands, and of our heritage and of our communities. But yet, despite the success of these attractions, there remains significant untapped potential that requires sustained investment and support from government. And I'm glad, Minister, to hear you talk about the overall group and that the local authorities are part of that. Because often in cases where what's happening is there isn't the joined up that is needed and we're not getting the basics right. If we take even, for instance, say Kim Bay Beach in Achill, being nominated as one of the top best beaches in the world, that is really, really significant. And then if you have an opportunity alongside that to do a visitor centre and something that will keep people in the area and provide a better experience for people, I think it's very important that that's done and that opportunities are taken in that regard. And if we're to be serious about growing tourism, then we must be serious about the connectivity and the infrastructure that's needed in order to be able to get, you know, to maximise the outcomes that we get from the money that's invested in tourism, whether that be advertising abroad or whatever, to attract people here. Tourism cannot thrive if visitors cannot easily reach destinations and move between regions or access attractions. And too often the government speaks about tourism and promotion while failing to invest adequately in the transport networks and the public infrastructure that underpins the sector. This is especially true in the West and the North West, and we cannot expect regions like to realise their full potential in tourism when transport links remain inadequate and investment lags behind demand. What visitors expect and need is 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. Yet many still encounter fragmented transport services, poor integration between providers and limited public transport options outside of our main cities. And it goes without saying that we need stronger links between airports and ports and towns and tourism destinations. But I'll give you an example, Minister. Knock Airport had, Ireland West Airport, Knock, had the 40th anniversary there recently, but I wanted to get from Castlebar to Knock to get a flight from Knock, and I wanted to use public transport. And just trying to find out about the bus service that connects Castlebar to Knock proved to be a really erroneous task in trying to do that. So I went to the bus stop to see what was displayed there. Nothing whatsoever displayed on the bus stop in Castlebar. So it's the small things like that that need to be addressed to ensure that people avail of the services that are even there. And I want to commend all the bus drivers, but it was quite an experience, because getting on the bus then to Knock as well, you see that you cannot tap your card. So you can't take card, you have to have cash. If you don't have cash, what do you do in that situation? And then the security issues that arrive for drivers as well, who have to provide their own floats. That isn't good enough in 2026, and when we talk about overarching and high-level stuff, we need to get the lower-level stuff right. And that's the point I want you to go away from here today, Minister. We need the stronger links, and 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's simply not a tourism issue. It's a regional development issue as well. And when you match up regional development with tourism, that's how you're going to get your maximum outcomes for what is needed. Now 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 to work in. These communities that welcome visitors must receive the infrastructure and services necessary to support increased tourism activity, like public toilets as well, like parking facilities and broadband connectivity. So many local community groups that are doing really, really good work in developing tourist attractions, walkways and that, and they have to beg and beg for a public toilet to be put on the local beach and to be supported in that way. And that's not right. These things should become more automatic, that you have those services there. There's little value in encouraging visitors to travel to rural Ireland if we fail to provide the infrastructure needed to support them once they arrive. Now it's obvious to us in Sinn Féin, but the future success of Irish tourism requires a stronger all-island approach. Ireland was established as one of the formal areas of cross-border cooperation under the Good Friday Agreement because it offers enormous potential there to international visitors. And international visitors don't see the island as two separate tourism destinations. They see Ireland as a single destination and 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. But again, an all-island tourism strategy must be matched by all-island connectivity. Can I just check my time? Twenty-three. We're almost out of time. I just want to just say this to you finally, Minister. An unfortunate consequence of Brexit saw the British government introduce the Electronic Travel Authorisation requirement for international visitors. This has required additional barriers, has made additional barriers for tourists travelling between the north and south, something that has to be dealt with once and for all. Thank you. Thank you.