What's that impact? Because more are due to come on stream.

Yeah, it's very significant.

So 5,000 beds, as you say, that translates to about 1,400 rooms.

We've had about 1,000 rooms, uh, being completed in terms of new builds, which we haven't seen for a number of years.

That's been really good.

Um, all of that accommodation, so 2,500 rooms, have come back into the market without changing the occupancy rate.

So occupancy rates averaging in the high 70s, which is very strong, and in the high 90s in Dublin, uh, certainly in the summer season.

So what's the objective there?

So tell me about this strategy and how it will work.

What we really want to do is make sure that we're positioning tourism as an economic driver.

As you say, it employs one in 10 people.

It is by far the largest regional employer in the country.

So what we really want to do now is make sure that we are maximising that.

And as you say, really trying to extend the season.

Trying to push it more into the shoulder seasons and also look at those less busy destinations.

What did you mean by that?

Uh, uh, so tell us firstly about the maritime, the Marine Institute and Bord Iascaigh Mhara, again, a, a great institution, let's call it.

Yeah, amazing.

So I mean, I've always had a great love of the sea.

Started sailing in my teens.

Absolutely love it still to this day.

It's a huge passion, and, um, when I met, uh, Dr. Peter Heffernan, who was leading what was a very tiny institute at that time, it was brand new, um, back in 2002, and he told me about his vision for Ireland, that we would not turn our backs to the sea, but we would understand just how important it is in terms of, uh, how it drove climate and, uh, opportunity, and how we should protect it and look after it, and how it could give us enormous economic wealth.

And this was just irresistible to me.

Yeah

So tell us firstly about the Maritime, the Marine Institute and Bordis Gawara, again, a great institution, let's call it.

Amazing.

So, I mean, I've always had a great love of the sea, started sailing in my teens.

Absolutely love it still to this day.

It's a huge passion.

And when I met Dr. Peter Heffernan, who was leading what was a very tiny institute at that time, it was brand new.

back in 2002.

Do you just have

T- t- yeah, tell people a little bit about the project just in case they haven't seen it.

Yeah.

So Westport House is an amazing project.

So it is about developing the whole of Westport Estate so that it becomes a multi-day experience for people in Westport, and it's going to, uh, restore the house, which is absolutely magnificent.

Um, it's going to develop some interactive experiences in the, in a, the courtyard, which will also be completely restored.

A, a fabulous interactive, a grainy oil experience, and a gift shop, and a cafe.

But then the real pièce resistance is that there's going to be, um, an area called the Wild Realms, which is effectively three gardens, which are going to be, um, absolutely world-class, uh, gardens for people to explore, both above ground and underground, and it's going to be absolutely magnificent.

Okay.

T- t- yeah, tell people a little bit about the project just in case they haven't seen it.

Yeah.

So Westport House is an amazing project.

So it is about developing the whole of Westport Estate so that it becomes a multi-day experience for people in Westport, and it's going to, uh, restore the house, which is absolutely magnificent.

Um, it's going to develop some interactive experiences in the, in a, the courtyard, which will also be completely restored.

A, a fabulous interactive, a Grainne Mhaol experience and a gift shop and a cafe, but then the real pièce de résistance is that there's going to be, um, an area called the Wild Realms, which is effectively three gardens which are going to be, um, absolutely world-class, uh, gardens for people to explore both above ground and underground, and it's going to be absolutely magnificent.

And the reason that we've made that investment is that the Wild Atlantic Way is, is so iconic.

Okay.

Briefly, what's in this plan?

Um, well, Failte Ireland's role is to develop, uh, tourism within Ireland and also to promote domestic tourism to our, to our Irish visitors.

Um, this plan really is about trying to spread tourism more evenly across the country, um, getting it more into the regions that don't currently have a lot of tourism, and more evenly through the year, so looking really into the shoulder seasons, into the off-peak.

We also want to make our 46,000 tourism SMEs more competitive, focusing particularly on areas where they can lower their costs, but also, uh, connect with those visitors, particularly through developing their digital, uh, capability.

Um, we really see them as a huge economic engine.

One in 10 people in this country is employed directly in tourism, so huge opportunity there.

How will it be done?

So I, I think, um, it will be done through spreading that tourism more evenly into the regions.