Invite 'heavy hitters' to party on Patrick's Day, group urges

GOVERNMENT MINISTERS should stay at home for next St Patrick’s Day and instead invite their counterparts to a major, multi-million euro party in Ireland, according to the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation.

The confederation said it believed invitations to prominent “heavy hitters” from around the world such as French minister for culture Frederic Mitterrand and US vice-president Joe Biden, who has ancestors in Co Mayo, would be accepted if Ireland was to “announce we are open for business again”.

Confederation chief executive Eamon McKeon said he would not apologise for spending a few million euro to tell the world “Ireland is open for business and heading for recovery”.

He said the 2010 budget would be completed by then, an economic revival package agreed with the EU and “it will be time to move on. Time to express confidence again.”

Mr McKeon said he believed Irish Ministers going abroad was valuable in terms of raising the profile of Ireland as a destination, but not as valuable as the amount of coverage inviting, for example, Mr Mitterrand and a team of French journalists to Ireland for a party.

The tourist industry confederation also called on the Government to “use its influence” with the banks to get them to resume lending money to viable businesses for cash flow.

He said there were only six or eight weeks of high season left and many businesses would be entering the winter period with perfectly viable businesses that depended on overdrafts to ensure cash flow throughout the quiet period. But he said he was sure that unless spending resumed, some of those businesses would close.

Among other suggestions to boost the flagging tourist industry were the scrapping of the €10 departure tax, which he said sent a bad signal to visitors, and the extension of the new employment subsidy scheme to the hotels sector.

“The alternative of putting somebody on the dole is probably going to cost more, the money is better spent keeping someone in employment and we were pleased this is going to be considered for phase two of the employment subsidy scheme,” he said.

The Government should also fast-track public sector reform, as ongoing uncertainty was demoralising. Mr McKeon also said he believed the Government should continue to invest in roads and other public infrastructure.