Have a 'staycation' and support Irish jobs - Penrose

As the busy August bank holiday gets underway, Deputy Willie Penrose has urged people to stay at home this year for their annual vacation and support Irish jobs.

“The weather is good and value-for-money has never been better across a whole range of accommodation options, eating-out, festivals and events. Ireland has a huge amount to offer, it is an incredible destination for visitors and Irish holiday makers alike. By holidaying at home this year, we can support Irish jobs in an array of hospitality, entertainment and catering areas.

“According to the latest CSO figures the total number of trips to Ireland increased by 12.3% to 2,126,600 - an overall increase of 233,600 compared with figures from April to June 2013.

“However, there is a glaring weakness in the Failte Ireland marketing strategy which concentrates so much on Dublin and traditional destinations at the expense of areas like Wesmeath and the Midlands, which are not favoured by holiday makers and remain the poor relation when it comes to promotion.

“The Midlands, and Westmeath in particular, has much to offer from a tourism aspect. The new investment of €4m, announced by Minister Alan Kelly in May, to develop a canal greenway from Athlone to Mullingar in particular will help to develop the county as a major destination for cycling tourism.

“The Wild Atlantic Way is a fabulous initiative but it won't butter any bread or create any jobs in the Midlands. I will be taking this up with tourism chiefs and Minister Michael Ring to let them know that we require similar initiatives for areas like Westmeath and the Midlands, so that we are not again left out of the loop by national agencies.

“This week's figures reflect the optimism in the tourism industry, but we cannot be complacent, we must continue to work to ensure that we keep a focus on those areas which we believe will further grow visitor numbers. The recently published Draft Tourism Policy aims to increase revenue from overseas tourism from €3.3 billion to €5 billion per year and create 50,000 new jobs by 2025. Interested parties now have a further opportunity to shape the future of Irish tourism policy by commenting on policy before it is finalised later this year. In this regard I will be working to ensure that Westmeath and the Midlands are not over-looked in terms of strategic investment and marketing.

“The tourism industry has the ability to reach parts of the country that other industries simply do not, therefore it is very well placed to deliver new jobs and support a rebalancing of regional prosperity. It provides employment in areas where many sectors cannot.”