There is an urgent need to engage in long-term planning for the development of rural economies, particularly in the West of Ireland. The latest figures from Fáilte Ireland provide stark evidence that the potential of the countryside as a tourism destination and wealth generator is not being realised. In particular, access points to hill-walking routes have been closed off by some dissatisfied farmers while the number of visiting game and coarse anglers continues to fall, with predictable consequences in terms of closed accommodation, lost employment and revenue.
At a time when small scale farming has been transformed by Cap reform and decoupling payments, it is now vital to place the preservation and development of our landscape centre stage. Nine out of 10 visitors specify "beautiful scenery" and "natural unspoilt environment" as their chief reasons for coming here. Tourism is our largest indigenous industry, accounting for 3.7 per cent of GNP and employing 230,000 people. All the more reason, then, to protect that primary resource, allowing for a diverse and dynamic use designed to create local wealth and employment.
Radical change now taking place in agriculture will inevitably encourage part-time farmers to realise some of their assets by selling off building sites. But a blight of inappropriate housing in sensitive areas must be guarded against through new landscape legislation. Access to the countryside should be addressed in a statutory way in order to encourage balanced community development.
Domestic tourism has grown by 50 per cent in the past five years and is an important element of the industry. But the British market will still supply nearly half of an estimated seven million tourists that will visit here in the coming year. The tourism sector is undergoing rapid change with traditional B&B accommodation being squeezed out by low cost hotel rooms. Such businesses, along with on-farm accommodation, will have to reposition themselves in the marketplace and offer visitors close-up, personal experiences of Irish life and of the landscape that has helped to shape it.
Providing value for money is an essential element in any successful enterprise. But ease of access along the west and south coasts, by way of a western road corridor and expanded local airports, would contribute greatly to a rebalancing of the industry. Already, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, John O'Donoghue, has sanctioned structural reforms for the administration and marketing of the regions. But a more comprehensive and far-seeing approach is required.