Coach-drivers hit as tours are cancelled
Tourist sites must be opened by the end of March if the State is free from foot-and-mouth, the Irish Coach Drivers' Association (ICDA) has said, writes Declan Fahy.
The ICDA secretary, Mr Nigel Murray, has called on the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera, to instruct Duchas to open all tourist-related heritage sites by March 31st if the State is free from the disease by then.
The ICDA has also urged the Minister for Tourism, Sports and Recreation, Dr McDaid, to "instruct and financially enable Bord Failte to embark on a massive advertising campaign, aimed at reassuring foreign tourists that it is safe to eat Irish food and that they will have something to see and somewhere to go, without restriction, when they get there".
A spokesman for the Department of Tourism said it "understands the difficulty, which is felt by everyone" but it was not in a position to say when restrictions would be lifted as it had to take the lead of the Department of Agriculture.
The ICDA has requested that the Department of Finance provide compensation to coach-drivers for loss of earnings. In a statement it said it had learned that foreign tour operators had started cancelling all Ireland coach tours.
However, the Department of Finance said it was not considering compensation packages.