Greens unveil plan on tourism industry

The Green Party today launched a tourism plan in response to its claim the Government is "standing idly by" as Ireland's tourist industry is wiped out by foot-and-mouth.

The 10-point package includes a call on the Government to declare April 19th a special "open for business day" provided that there are no further cases of the disease confirmed in the State before then.

The Green Party are proposing that all of the Government's £10 million 'reassurance package' should be spent on April 19th to tell the world that we are disease-free Trevor Sargent TD.

Mr Trevor Sargent TD, the party chief spokesman, claimed the Government response to the situation has led to large numbers of tourists being "scared off" coming to Ireland.

He said this was due to a lack of leadership by the Taoiseach Mr Ahern. Tourists "heard more warnings than welcomes" from the Minister for Agriculture Mr Walsh.

"The Green Party are proposing that all of the Government's £10 million 'reassurance package' should be spent on April 19th to tell the world that we are disease-free, that restrictions are lifted and that the St Patrick's Day Festival is on again and that we are completely open for business as a tourist destination," said Mr Sargent.

The Green Party proposal also calls for the Taoiseach to head the Expert Group on the crisis, thus giving the Department of Tourism equal status with Agriculture in the group.

The party also called for the various State tourism and agriculture bodies to send out a more positive message via the press in Britain and the US and on their websites.

Low-risk heritage sites and visitor attractions should also be reopened immediately, it said.

The Greens called for an increased Government marketing budget for 2001 to renew Ireland's "image as a clean and green land".

The party's tourism spokesman Cllr Eamon Ryan claimed the Government is "totally unaware of the depth of the crisis in the tourism industry".

"At the height of the booking season tour operator telephone reservation lines across the country are dead. Our Green image, which has been the main attraction for continental visitors is increasingly tarnished," he said.

A meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Sport and Recreation is taking place this afternoon to address the ongoing measures imposed due to the virus.

The Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr McDaid, is due to meet representatives from Bord Fáilte and the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation to discuss the loosening of restrictions announced by the Department of Agriculture yesterday.

Dr McDaid said on the release at the weekend of figures for the end of 2000: "The implications of the current threat of foot-and-mouth disease are extremely serious for the tourism industry and the economy as a whole and have no doubt overshadowed the latest tourism figures."