Cathy Bennett: Regional Airports Must Share Tourism Growth
Cathy Bennett challenges the Minister over new aviation legislation and its effects on local residents and the tourism sector. She welcomes measures to boost tourism but warns the Bill is a blunt instrument that may be legally unsound and fails to address regional concerns.
Main concerns: Bennett questions the Minister's Bill for not recognising the outstanding issues of local residents and calls on the Department of Enterprise and Aviation (DEA) to engage meaningfully with affected communities. She appeals for constructive cross-party engagement to amend the Bill.
Tourism and jobs: Bennett highlights the tourism sector's role supporting well over 200,000 jobs, noting that many workers remain on minimum wages while the national living wage implementation is delayed. She warns that maintaining the CAP could damage the sector and hinder regional economic balance.
Regional airports: Bennett lays out the imbalance in Ireland's aviation network - with 88% of passenger traffic through Dublin - and points to closed or underused regional airports including Galway and Sligo and the need for greater consideration of Kerry, Knock and Waterford. She stresses the untapped potential of every county to attract visitors.
Island-wide strategy: Bennett argues for recognising the island of Ireland as a single destination and for a wider aviation strategy that promotes balanced regional development, cross-border collaboration with Derry and Belfast, and increased flight caps nationwide to spread tourism beyond Dublin.
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So firstly before I start my debate, Minister O'Brien, I would like to just say I will not take lectures from Independent Ireland who recently said the sport should not become a tool when Israel is going to play here in Ireland. I think you should have had a stronger stance on that, but for Independent Ireland to accuse Sinn Féin of anything, that is only here to help the public. I'd also like to welcome the legislation which of course will encourage tourism on the island of Ireland, but a blunt tool, not fit for purpose, which may well be legally unsound. That said, there is absolutely need for the government and for the DEA to recognise the outstanding issues of local residents. And it is disappointing that the Minister's Bill does not provide that recognition. So I would appeal to you, Minister, to work constructively with the opposition as we seek to address these issues, and particularly mandating the DEA to engage meaningfully with residents. I'm also deeply concerned regarding the impact maintaining the CAP could have on our tourism sector, a sector that supports well over 200,000 jobs, often in parts of the country that have otherwise suffered from the dearth of inward investment. The tourism sector, as you know, has seen the attention from government, has not seen enough attention from government in particular areas that are needed, especially in terms of the many workers being on minimum wages and government having delayed the implementation of the national living wage until the end of the decade. Crucially, the tourism sector has immense potential in terms of geographical spread, and even greater, again, in terms of its ability to contribute to economic regional balance. And that, I would contend, is yet to be realised. But a necessary component in balance in terms of our regional airports, which has been lacking. Galway and Sligo airports are closed for commercial traffic. Kerry, Knock, Waterford need far greater consideration, and in particular Waterford, where positive development is seen almost in spite of government. I believe it's a positive thing that we can look to Dublin as having even greater potential, but with 88% of passenger traffic passing through that airport, it would be wrong to think that our regional airports don't have more to offer. We need to encourage more tourists to visit the untapped parts of the country, beyond Dublin, the larger and more traditional destinations. There is not a county in Ireland that lacks the potential to draw great numbers of tourists. As a member of the Sleave Bay Partnership Committee whilst I was a councillor, I was delighted to see the allocation of funding last year to develop the Sleave Bay area as an eco-tourism destination. And I know that every county has similar potential, and investment is needed, yes, but so too is the greater engagement for tourists to travel to all destinations. And all our regional airports absolutely have a role to play in this. Derry and Belfast also need particular consideration in the context of cross-border tourism, and it should be recognised that to maximise tourism potential on the island of Ireland, there is an absolute need for the consideration of all airports on our island. We should be seeking not only to remove the hurdles, but to recognise both Ireland itself is a single destination, one that has a diverse range of offerings in every corner of the country, and in the space between. And in that context, I would appeal to the government to progress, yes, but also to do so in the context of a wider considered aviation strategy that must have balanced regional development, including tourism to the fore. Ireland, as you know Minister, has 32 counties. We need to encourage tourism to all counties, and to increase flight caps nationwide, not just in Dublin. For more UN videos visit www.un.org
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