Shannon, Cork should be open to all airlines, conference told

Shannon and Cork airports should be open to all airlines and landing charges levied on all European flights should be scrapped this year, according to president of the Irish Hotels Federation.

These initiatives would encourage tourism in the regions and would attract new air routes and new markets, Mr Jim Murphy told the federation's annual conference in Galway yesterday. He also called for immediate deregulation of the transport infrastructure.

"If this entails breaking up CIÉ and introducing competitive transport services, then so be it," Mr Murphy said. "Not only do we need an excellent transport infrastructure for consumers, but visitors to Ireland need to be given greater choice and flexibility in how they wish to travel to areas outside of the capital."

The IHF says low cost and ease of access are key factors influencing potential visitors. The onus, it adds, is on the State to introduce measures which will make for easier travel to and within the island.

The State's regional airports were "untapped resources" which would be more effective in terms of channelling tourism into the west and south if marketed, managed and promoted commercially, Mr Murphy said.

"We are urging the Government to ask Aer Rianta to put the interest of this country and the 150,000 people employed in Irish tourism to the top of their priority list - not the profit line in their accounts," Mr Murphy said.

Regional airports represented "essential infrastructure" serving communities at a time when Ireland was competing in an intensely competitive environment in Europe for tourists.

He welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, that he supported building a second terminal at Dublin airport, following the completion of a consultant's report examining its feasibility.

On deregulation of transport infrastructure, Mr Murphy said visitors here needed to be given greater choice and flexibility. He cited the Aircoach service to and from Dublin airport and the Citylink route between Galway and Dublin airport as examples of beneficial competition. The deregulation of the taxi industry had also increased the taxi supply serving the capital's bus and train stations, ferries and Dublin airport.

IHF delegates also voiced concern about insurance costs which were "crippling" the hotel sector, according to its president. Insurance companies were currently quoting renewal premiums which were between 15 and 20 per cent higher than last year. There had already been increases of up to 200 per cent over the previous two years, the federation says.

Mr Murphy said immediate remedial measures were needed to counter the costs. He called on the Government to establish an efficient and cost-effective system for setting compensation levels for genuine personal injury claims.

This should include establishing a "book of quotum" which would allow claims to be resolved without recourse to the "costly legal system", he added.