Debate contribution: All-Ireland Tourism

Debate contribution by Ms Cara Hunter on 18 June 2024.

MLA

Ms Cara Hunter

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

18 June 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

All-Ireland Tourism

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4497382

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. First, I thank the Minister for being here. I wish him all the best. It is great to see him back in the Chamber. It gives me great pleasure to wind on the motion. I argue that mine is one of the prettiest constituencies: it is beautiful, coastal and focused on tourism. I am therefore delighted to speak about all-Ireland tourism today. Much like the lush green pastures that roll from Armagh into Monaghan, or the peaks of the Mournes that gaze majestically to the tops of the Cooley peninsula, and just as the fish swim without a thought through Lough Foyle, between Donegal and Derry, our island is shared and connected by geography, history, culture and family. Our island — our Ireland — must be understood, communicated and sold as one. No matter what Members' views are on our constitutional arrangements or future, it is the responsibility of the House to ensure the best outcomes for our people and their prosperity. To ensure the best outcomes for tourism, we must endeavour to convey, market and sell the island as one: a beautiful, rich and mythical destination. Strand two of the Good Friday Agreement commits us to working on a cross-border basis on tourism, so we must work together to sell this beautiful place that we all call home: the unmissable jewel at the heart of what the writer and Ulster Presbyterian William Drennan called the "Emerald Isle". Last year, nearly 32 million people passed through Dublin Airport into Ireland. We must do all that we can to ensure that those who holiday in Ireland holiday in all of the island. In the North of Ireland — Northern Ireland — we have so much to offer. For example, in my constituency, we have Dunluce Castle. If Members have not visited it, I suggest that they do. Many Members, like me, will have met people abroad who have told them about their wonderful experiences of holidaying in Ireland, be it sipping a pint of the black stuff in the Gravity Bar, kissing the Blarney Stone or strolling through the beautiful streets of Galway. Too often, however, they recount trips to the island in which the North was overlooked and forgotten. By committing to an all-Ireland tourism strategy, we ensure that tourists will not fail to take the opportunity to experience the breathtaking beauty of our counties, that they will receive the warm embrace of our people and that they will make memories that will be recounted to others around the world about our humour, Northern soul and the place that we are lucky to call home. The now iconic zigzag sign of the Wild Atlantic Way has become a beacon for the many tourists exploring the unparalleled beauty of the island. The simplicity of its success is undoubted. Although so many tourists breathe in the beauty of sights from Cork to Donegal, the abrupt end of the journey at the Donegal/Derry border, however, makes no sense and comes out of nowhere.

I will just touch on some Members' comments. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the debate. Áine Murphy made an important point. She talked about the importance of Fermanagh and Tyrone as Ireland's Hidden Heartlands. I am a former Tyrone representative in council, and I completely agree that it is stunning. I have done the Stairway to Heaven, and it is breathtaking for two reasons: it is absolutely beautiful, and it is a very steep incline. Mr Honeyford said that he believes in better and that we can do much more with our tourism and attract more visitors. A real barrier to that is the dire and urgent need for improved infrastructure. I thought that that rebalancing of connectivity was really important. Mr Beattie touched on the importance of the hospitality sector in Northern Ireland, which has undoubted potential, but we must invest in upskilling our people. The Giant's Causeway must be understood to be as essential as Newgrange, the Titanic museum as unmissable as the Guinness Storehouse, and Crumlin Road Gaol as much a must-see as Kilmainham. By linking the Wild Atlantic Way to the Causeway Coast and by extending Armagh and Down to Ireland's Ancient East, and by placing Derry as a cosmopolitan centre of Ireland's north-west, we stand to capitalise on our tourism potential. I call on all Members to remember that there is nothing to fear in working together on matters of clear mutual interest. Whether you bounce to the beat of a bodhrán or a Lambeg drum, much like the Irish rugby team, our shared success is best realised standing "Shoulder to shoulder" and together as one. I encourage Members to support this important motion.

787 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:38 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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