Go raibh maith agat, a LeasCheann Comhairle. I support the motion and thank all those who contributed to the report through oral and written submissions. I commend the Committee Chairperson and the members who diligently, and at times passionately, went through the various drafts. They all fought for the cultural and artistic attractions of their constituencies. I am especially grateful to the Committee Clerks, for without their skill we may not have had a report at all. However, the person engaged as special adviser to draft the report failed to address adequately the four stated objectives in a precise or objective manner.

Cultural tourism and the arts, as the Committee learnt, can be anything from the search for local place names such as Lisnamucky, to listening to the tales - tall or otherwise - of the yarn spinners, or engaging with the flautist skills of the local flute band.

Some years ago, a group of Pennsylvanian millionaires came here in search of the Elliot and the Curran clans. They knew the place names from whence their ancestors had come and they managed to find the "auld sod", as some people describe it. We did not capitalise on the interests of those wealthy cultural tourists, and the report suggests many recommendations on how we may attract and service such visitors in the future.

The submissions to the inquiry were exciting, varied and informative. They came from groups as diverse as the National Trust, the Glass Ceiling Theatreworks, the Gortin and District Historical Society and the Hilden Brewing Company, which unfortunately did not provide a sample of its wares with its submission. Despite the wealth of evidence from such diverse cultural, artistic and tourism organisations, the special adviser to the Committee used his own material throughout the report as a source of information and to verify that information. It was disappointing to note that that happened despite excellent submissions.

Most of the special adviser's evidence was generated via the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. It was apparent from the first draft that the special adviser and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board did not understand the intricacies of the definitions and working of "culture" and " the arts". That is best exemplified by the table used by the special adviser, which was sourced from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. It failed to distinguish between visitors and tourists, and that type of statistic was used intermittently throughout the report without due care and concern for relevance.

The now infamous table excluded the sixteenth century Derry city walls and wiped the city's historic landmark off the cultural and tourism top 20 map at a time when Derry City Council had bid to have the walls declared a world heritage site. The other famous Derry tourist attraction, Free Derry wall, did not get a mention from the special adviser either - such was the limitation and myopia of the expert appointed to draft the report for the Committee.

Most of the places listed in the table, for instance the Pickie Family Fun Park - the second favourite tourist attraction - are unknown to people outside the Belfast and Bangor areas. I cannot imagine cultural tourists from Europe or the United States of America coming to visit a pool surrounded by rocks with the added attraction of a train and a donkey. I can imagine that the Pickie Family Fun Park would provide a great day's outing for families from that area of the east coast. That shows the need to distinguish between the cultural tourists and visitors who come to see friends and relatives and who make up 40% of all the people who come to visit the North.

How do we turn the visitors of family and friends into cultural tourists? That is the major question.

The recommendations, if adopted, show how heritage days, theme tours and trails can become special interest markets that offer specific experiences. More detailed research and analysis of the material submitted was needed in early drafts to help the Committee understand and interpret the widely diverse definitions of cultural tourism and the arts. The Committee is indebted to its Clerk, who produced a better, workable and relevant definition of our stated objectives.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) defines culture as:

Art is the outworking of those features, and culture is the glue that bonds us together. It impacts on every aspect of our lives. It allows us to celebrate ourselves and show the rest of the world who we are and how we live.

The tourist is the person who comes to experience our uniqueness through the lens we offer. Why tourists come, and how to analyse that, is a major part of our recommendations and requires partnership between the major players. The jury is still out on why so many tourists come to this small island, but we can be sure that it is not for sun, sea and sand. Submissions from various groups and organisations helped us to examine that issue.

Tourists may come in search of their roots and their identity; to seek out the place that produces Irish music, art, or literature; to see monuments of ancient civilisations; to see the artistic splendour of the Book of Kells, the Cathach, and the Broighter Gold; and to see the historic sites of the Boyne, Derry city walls, Newgrange and where the Titanic was built.

It is accepted that many tourists come to look at our wall murals, and most tour operators now include those as part of their itinerary. Those attractions should be considered as specific elements of a cultural strategy proposed in section 5 of the report, but such a strategy should be based on an all-Ireland partnership between the arts, tourists and cultural organisations. Planned, resourced and managed tourist projects, whether they be festivals, events, band concerts or genealogical summer schools, must be co-ordinated in order to reflect the relationship among the visitor, the tourist and the local community.

The appearance of a close-knit community shaped around its culture and art creates a positive image. However, the essence of any cultural tourism and arts strategy must be rooted firmly in the cultural pluralism of the local communities. That would acknowledge that, although we share this island, we have distinctive codes of behaviour and historical identities.

The report establishes that difference can be a key feature. Many of the success stories recorded in the submissions received little or no recognition or financial support from the agencies that have been set up to promote general tourism.

We recommend that all cultural tourism strategies should start with an inventory of resources. The process should include an assessment of how local people feel, as well as the views of the vested interest groups, such as local authorities, statutory agencies and others. Too often, tourism planning strategies are based on a hope and false expectations as opposed to a reliable and technically sound evaluation of potential impacts.

New and innovative partnerships and techniques must be considered - involving trusts, co-operatives and community councils - when implementing a cultural tourism and arts strategy. Our report will be the catalyst for such initiatives. I urge the Minister and the Department to support the motion. Go raibh míle maith agat.

I extend my thanks to the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure, chaired by Mr ONeill. I also thank the Committee Clerk and her staff for the hard work that they have put into this important report, which, I believe, shows the Belfast Agreement at its best.

The greatest of all historians, Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, wrote of the exhortation of the British nobleman, Calgacus, who fought the Roman Empire, when he said of the Romans:

As recent events in Belfast have shown, many ordinary people in Northern Ireland have rarely felt so despondent and uncertain of their future. Whether real or imaginary, the perception in the Unionist community in particular, is that the so-called "other side" has gained most from the political process. That has been feeding an increasingly sceptical and negative appraisal of the Belfast Agreement, and what we call "peace".

The overriding concern most frequently voiced by community activists is that there is in increasing internal disarray and even disintegration in Loyalist areas. The unemployment situation has rarely been so dire. The level of education attainment remains abysmal. The former community infrastructure, even if largely of an informal nature, has taken a severe battering from mismanaged redevelopment, the break-up of old communities and the absence of any long-term strategy for revitalisation and renewal. That is why such reports are so vital to social, economic and cultural regeneration in large areas of Northern Ireland.

The Department should assess the further potential for the development of dynamic cultural quarters in Northern Ireland's cities to promote and showcase local culture and locations in which art and culture can be offered to all. District councils should place greater focus on the historic cores of our cities and towns, through the development of history trails, imaginative interpretation and storytelling in which we excel.

The Department and the Arts Council should assess the position elsewhere, regarding the requirements placed on developers to include public art into major schemes, particularly in urban areas. The Northern Ireland Tourist Board should determine, in each product group network, the extent to which themed tours and trails can be used for the special interest market as well as for the future tourists that we so desire.

In east Belfast, for example, there is ample potential to develop and co-ordinate trails and tours that focus on diverse aspects of culture and tradition. C S Lewis - perhaps the greatest Christian writer of the twentieth century - was born in Belfast in 1898. The C S Lewis tourist trail links the main places in Belfast and north Down that are most closely associated with Lewis, such as St Mark's Church, Dundela; Little Lea, Circular Road; Bernagh, now known as Red Hall on the Circular Road; the Old Inn at Crawfordsburn; the Holywood hills, which were the template and origin for the Narnia tales - the greatest children's stories ever written; Campbell College; Dundela flats and the centenary sculpture at Holywood Arches.

Little Lea and Bernagh, which is owned by the South and East Belfast Health and Social Services Trust, are still under threat of development. That must be reversed. At Bernagh, Lewis wrote his first book as a Christian - the great 'Pilgrim's Regress' - an imitation of 'The Pilgrim's Progress'. That building must be protected from developers at all costs. The Chairperson also spoke in detail about the Titanic Trail, which, of course, has great potential throughout the world.

The historic cores of our key cities offer a great opportunity for tourism, as has been shown by the promotion of Derry's walls and the O'Doherty Fort in Londonderry. Also, the development of heirskip, or heritage, villages, perhaps centred on the reconstruction of Belfast at the time of the American Revolution, could be created in inner east Belfast to facilitate the promotion of the Ulster-Scots language and culture. That should be done on an equal basis with Ulster and Irish Gaelic language and culture, to revitalise the entire area.

We must require developers to incorporate public art into their major schemes, especially in urban areas, so that they can put something back into the community that they have pillaged for far too long. There is not, to the Committee's knowledge, an officer at either central Government or local government level anywhere in Northern Ireland whose specific responsibility is to encourage the sponsorship and incorporation of artwork in public areas for all the public to see. We who pay the pipers should also call the tune.

As a member of the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure, I am pleased that the 'Inquiry into Cultural Tourism and the Arts' report has now been concluded and brought before the House. The inquiry was launched last January, and I, for one, never imagined that the Committee would be subjected to such an enthusiastic response. We received more than 80 submissions. To add further support, the Committee also heard oral evidence from 100 people representing 39 organisations.

The workload was immense, so I join with other Committee members in thanking the Committee Clerk and the support staff for all their work on the inquiry in the past 18 months. I also thank those who took the time and trouble to make submissions, both written and oral, giving the Committee much food for thought on wide and varied issues within the terms of reference.

It was clear from the outset that Northern Ireland was starting on the back row of the grid. Our geographical location on the periphery of Europe and the unreliable climate do us no favours. Those factors, combined with decades of terrorism and civil unrest, ensured that Northern Ireland could not reach its full potential. Regrettably, some figures indicate that, up to 2000, 62% of people who came to Northern Ireland were either visiting friends or relatives or were here on business. That left only 18% who could be considered tourists.

During the inquiry, the bottom fell out of the North American market in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September, leaving another void in an area that had witnessed a fair degree of growth. That, on top of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, has taken a severe toll.

The only other negative issue on which I wish to comment was the repeated criticism of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, which featured time and time again in oral evidence. It has been a bad time recently for the Tourist Board, so I shall not dwell on the subject. However, there was consensus that there had been a failure to promote and market the region and to encourage tourist development of culture and the arts. However, some comfort can be taken from the work of the Cultural Tourism Partnership in placing culture at the heart of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board's corporate plan.

The report contains 56 recommendations that reflect issues from the arts of music, film, drama and dance to visitor attractions, cultural strategies, infrastructure, funding and much more. The recommendations show the depth of the key issues.

I draw the House's attention to the recommendations that highlight the potential for festivals, summer schools and other events, especially recommendation 8 on the development of the festival sector. It has been established that festivals can play an important role at local level, specific to the culture of that area, and also on a wider regional basis. More importantly, they are major economic generators. For example, the highly successful Edinburgh Festival 2001, to which the report refers, redeemed an otherwise devastated Scottish tourism industry in the wake of the last year's foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

The recommendation states:

That would complement existing major festivals. However, to develop their potential

One local example is the Carrickfergus Waterfront Festival, held during the past two weeks, which included a re-enactment of the landing of King William in 1690. Every year, local people take pride in proclaiming their history and heritage, and visitors display their hunger to learn of the culture of others and eagerly return to witness the event.

District councils have begun to realise the potential of such festivals, but promotion and co-ordination are essential. It was disappointing that several of the 26 district councils did not reply to the Committee's request for information on local festivals. Those included four of the eight councils whose areas encompass the Causeway Coast and the Glens of Antrim, two of the country's leading tourist attractions.

During our research, it was interesting to learn that a similar policy has been developed in France, where, until recently, 500 festivals were not considered to be tourist products. Those are now specifically marketed, and 15% to 20% of visitors to major festivals are now foreign tourists.

In recommendation 9, the Committee strongly encourages Belfast Festival at Queen's to examine the potential of summer events and to use the broadcasting media to develop an international audience. Representatives of Belfast Festival at Queen's stated in their evidence that they were conscious of the gap that exists during the summer. The festival is in its fortieth year, has proved its sustainability and has capitalised on the focus of Halloween. The Committee would support any proposal to organise events to fill the summer gap and to promote the festival more widely.

Although Belfast Festival at Queen's cannot rival the Edinburgh Festival, there is scope to tap into international coverage through the commissioning of a purpose-made showcase to highlight events during the festival to satellite television audiences worldwide.

I endorse recommendation 13, which calls on the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to liaise with district councils, the professional theatre and others to develop a summer arts programme for local audiences and visitors. Such a programme could serve a dual purpose as a training ground for young actors and as a frequently changing entertainment option.

The Northern Ireland Events Company only scratches the surface in its provision. I commend its efforts, but given our limited resources, we can only glance sideways in jealousy at our neighbouring devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales, where significant budgets attract major events. We must persuade potential promoters, as well as ourselves, that business can be done in Northern Ireland. However, given the Northern Ireland Events Company's limited budget of £1 million, the key to success will be the positioning of a financial commitment sufficiently far ahead in the bidding process.

Unfortunately, confidence in the Northern Ireland Events Company was recently undermined by a Sinn Féin/IRA Member. That organisation destroyed stability with its campaign of murder and destruction but now has the audacity to portray itself as the minder of the public purse.

Perhaps the Minister could consider another major event. In recent days, it has emerged that the local government auditor has written to Carrickfergus Borough Council, which in 1997 won the right to host the Optimist World Championship in sailing. Despite the fact that that successful event was a good economic generator for the area, the local government auditor has questioned the council's entitlement even to bid to stage it. That bureaucracy is a worry, given our attempts to expand and bring world-class events to Northern Ireland.

I support the motion. I commend the report and hope that its recommendations will be implemented soon.

I support fully the contents of the report on the inquiry into cultural tourism and the arts. As a member of the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure, I am delighted that the report has come to the House.

The Committee worked extremely hard. It listened to many groups and considered many written submissions. I hope that its Assembly Colleagues will support the report's recommendations and that the Executive will act on it, because that can only benefit everyone in Northern Ireland.

We must make up for the lost and wasted years. Northern Ireland has much to offer. I have repeatedly told the Committee's hosts in Boston, Paris, Barcelona, Scotland and Galway that they should visit the Strangford constituency. It has it all - it is the best in the land. Of course, my Assembly Colleagues supported me fully at all times.

Northern Ireland has two important features with which to attract visitors: genealogy, which could be classed as a "roots strategy"; and townland names. Recommendations 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 cover fully what must be done. The Northern Ireland Tourist Board and other bodies could play a significant part in a roots strategy. The report states that there are

Those people must be persuaded to visit us. Although they may discover that their relatives live in Cork, Kerry or Waterford, we should, through investment, development and marketing, entice them to Northern Ireland. We can assure them of a welcome and offer them attractions equal to those in other places. Ireland is a small island, and we can benefit if the determination is there.

I recently received information about the Irish Genealogical Congress, which holds a week-long international conference every three to four years that attracts people from all over the world. Plans are afoot to hold the next conference in 2004. Belfast was considered as a venue in the past but, because of its problems, other cities were selected instead. Therefore, at this early stage, I appeal to the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to consider seriously the provision of a real incentive that would bring the Irish Genealogical Congress to Belfast. It is an excellent opportunity that should not be missed.

I pay tribute to the work of our local historical societies, especially the Federation for Ulster Local Studies, which made a presentation to the Committee. The Assembly must support all that work.

The Committee Chairperson mentioned my pet subject, which I have spoken about many times in the Assembly, and I shall continue to stress the importance of maintaining the precious heritage of Northern Ireland's townland names. The previous time that I tabled a motion on townland names I mentioned Ballycranmore, Ballycranbeg, Ballyesborough and Ballyboghilbo. Townland names continue to be an attraction for visitors to Northern Ireland; therefore, they must not be forgotten.

In mirroring recommendation 21, I appeal to all Departments, district councils and other public bodies to include townland names on all correspondence. It is not good enough for Ministers to rely on the community to include townland names on correspondence. Since the early 1970s, townland names have largely been omitted, so an entire generation may be ignorant of them.

I should like to applaud the staff of the Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland, based at Colby House, Stranmillis Road, on their progress with the common address file. I understand that it is now called the compass address file. I hope that that will give us a complete list of all the townland names in Northern Ireland, that it will be completed in the autumn and that Departments will have no excuse not to include townland names on all their correspondence.

I should also like to pay tribute to the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and members of the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure for concluding this important inquiry into cultural tourism. I should also like to express my admiration and thanks to all the Committee staff for their help, courtesy and invaluable advice during the course of our work.

I appreciate the presence of the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure, Mr McGimpsey, in the Chamber. I know he supports our work, and I hope that he can lead his Department and the other Departments to see that our recommendations are fully adopted.

I should like to congratulate the Committee staff on the way in which they brought the report together. The Committee Clerk - affectionately known as "Mrs Woman" incidentally - and her staff have been tremendous in ensuring that the report is before us. We should also congratulate the Chairperson on his leadership throughout the inquiry.

It was an interesting exercise, and we had submissions from more than 80 groups and individuals concerned about tourism. We asked all those people questions, and one thing that struck me about their views on the Tourist Board was that no one had a good word to say about it. Some did not comment at all. Although that is not my view, others suspect that rather than promoting a good image of Northern Ireland, the Tourist Board has promoted a bad image of itself - a significant comment. Again, and I may be speaking for myself here, we should analyse the usefulness of the Tourist Board and ask whether it is necessary. Around the Province local authorities provide most of the 450 plus tourist facilities.

I am interested in the industrial heritage aspect, an area that is largely untapped here, unlike other parts of the free world. I was in Phoenix, Arizona, a few weeks ago, and there was a Titanic exhibition in downtown Phoenix. That evening I spoke to a group of approximately 35 business people and asked how many realised that the Titanic was built in Belfast. Only two people raised their hands. The rest did not know that the Titanic was built in Belfast, yet there they were having a Titanic exhibition in the middle of Phoenix. On display were all the artefacts that were found at the bottom of the ocean and brought ashore and that now make up a travelling exhibition.

Belfast should be proud of that. Some people seem to think that Belfast should be ashamed because the ship sank. We know why it sank, and it had nothing to do with the skills of the workers in Harland &Wolff; it sank because the silly captain decided to try to break a transatlantic record and sailed straight into an ice field.

Northern Ireland should capitalise on its great industrial base of linen, agriculture, pottery, crystal, even whiskey - it is all there - to highlight what the Province has to offer. I am not so sure about poteen, but those are all part of our culture.

Newtownabbey Borough Council was faced with the possibility of seeing the demolition of a great mill at Mossley that had played a central part in the industrial revolution in Ireland. The council stepped in immediately and within a week had purchased the mill and decided to turn it into its new headquarters.

Other areas in the UK are preserving their industrial heritage, and it is paying its way. A Lisburn man called Gregg developed the great mills at Hyde on the fringe of Manchester Airport, The National Trust is taking those over and fabricating and manufacturing items for the tourist industry. It is paying its way. The big spinning wheels and the steam turbines are all there and are being restored.

A similar project is going on at the mill village in Lanark, just outside Glasgow. People are still living in tenements in that area, but part of the mill has been converted into a hotel, and other parts have been restored to working order.

A private entrepreneur took over massive mills in Halifax in North England and developed them. They are so vast that one could not walk from one end to the other, but would require transport. An arts centre and all sorts of businesses and attractions, hotels and restaurants have been established there.

In Bradford a large collection of old machinery has been restored - in fact, there is so much that it is being sold off to other museums throughout the UK. All those operations are in place to preserve our industrial heritage.

We are proud of what we have done in Newtownabbey, because the industrial revolution in Ireland took off in the present boundaries of Newtownabbey Borough Council. I had to include that historic fact. We are attempting to preserve part of our heritage. That can be accomplished in many ways. Part of Mossley Mill could be restored and used as a museum. The mills in Benburb have been partially preserved but still need to be developed. These projects could be considered tourist attractions. We have an audience and a product that can be used to attract that audience.

When the Committee was preparing the report, it was discovered that most visitors to Northern Ireland come to see friends and relatives. People must be attracted for other reasons, such as over 450 varied attractions and many worthwhile sites. Leisure centres bring in many visitors, but there are also places of sound historic interest that can be used for tourism.

The Titanic Quarter and the events down at the shipyard can be compared with extensive developments in Liverpool. Those might suggest that the Titanic was built there. The Titanic never visited Liverpool, but the White Star Line was associated with the city. The tender that brought people out from Cherbourg where the Titanic was anchored before it headed off across the Atlantic is now a disused floating restaurant on the River Seine in Paris. That could be brought back here to provide a focal point for tourism. There are many attractions that we could utilise.

I am a believer in community-based tourism. No matter what community we consider, it has something of interest for tourism. It could be an inaccessible hidden rath. What is the sense in having such an attraction with no way to get to it? That is a problem throughout Northern Ireland. In my history research I have found that many attractions are not signposted and lie up a country lane or across a field. We must make those more accessible. We need to audit tourist products, both current and potential.

The Northern Ireland Tourist Board will continue to exist in one form or another despite what I have said. It is of the utmost importance that it promote Northern Ireland's attractions comprehensively and accurately. At present, it is not doing so. Last night, I looked at a Tourist Board brochure. As I glanced through it, I was surprised to find that the information on certain historic attractions was not accurate. That is not good. The Tourist Board must ensure that it is accurate in its assessment of the attractions that it includes in its brochures.

The approach to promoting attractions should be more comprehensive. There should be an audited list of all the attractions that bring people to the Province. This is a good little Province. Despite all our problems, this place is worth living in. When King William came to Ireland he said that it was a place worth fighting for - we have been doing that ever since. However, we can put that in context and recognise that we are all citizens of this land. There is so much on offer. We ourselves are a product, and there are many things to attract people who have a genuine interest in some of the areas mentioned today.

I have looked at only one aspect of tourism - industrial heritage. There is a market for that. I and other Committee members saw the evidence of that in a place called Lowell, about an hour's drive from Boston, where they have developed the great mills and put the boat on the old canal. Almost by accident, they decided to install some tiered seating and hold a country and western event. It is now a massive occasion that attracts almost 250,000 people on a weekend.

The significant point about that project is that it is located in a downtown area that was falling apart and inhabited by drug addicts. It was not a place where respectable people would be seen, so something had to be done. The area was developed with the mills as the focal point. The place is tremendous - a basketball arena and an ice arena, which can also host concerts, were built. Facilities were provided to attract people.

Whatever a community has to offer, it will have something that will attract people. It could be a place like Newtownabbey, which was the cradle of the industrial revolution. People are interested in the fact that we have preserved part of that heritage. Unfortunately, some of it has gone. What was perhaps the oldest factory chimney in Ireland was demolished to make way for a Toys 'R' Us store, which was a shame. There was no need to take away that chimney. People are attracted to such things. Do we do enough about that?

The report makes 56 recommendations, including some on visitor centres and museums, in which I have an interest. We should consider those recommendations, which I commend to the Assembly. We recommend taking stock of our visitor attractions, heritage centres and other facilities. I urge the Assembly to accept the report's recommendations, and not only because of the Committee's hard work. However, it is because of that hard work that we have got the report right. The issues that it raises must be taken on board, not ignored or thrown out.

The Chairperson and my Colleagues on the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure have already mentioned many aspects of the background to the inquiry, the need for the inquiry and the report. I wish to say a few words about one section of the report.

Before I do, I want to join with others in placing on record a word of thanks to the Chairperson. He did a sterling job, keeping us focused on the objective against many competing pressures. It was not easy, and it was a job well done. Also, I want to thank the Committee staff for their hard work and dedication. This was a substantial inquiry - one that was necessary and useful - and all the staff played a big part from start to finish.

I want to say a few words about Northern Ireland's image, which has been mentioned briefly by others, and how that image relates to the task of promoting our culture and, I hope, attracting tourists. As was the case in the angling inquiry, some issues were mentioned again and again by almost everyone who made a submission. Our image was certainly one of those. In short, what came over time and time again was the comment: "How can we compete, faced with the bad news stories about Northern Ireland?" Blame was apportioned over a wide spectrum: the terrorists; the rioters on our streets; the criminality in our communities; and the murders. Even the news industry did not escape criticism.

Many submissions noted that a major barrier to developing culture tourism is the persistence of a negative image of Northern Ireland. On the other hand, feedback from visitors suggests that they are impressed by how different the reality of Northern Ireland is from the image they see, hear and read on television, radio and newspapers.

I draw Members' attention to recommendations 30 and 31. It is not just the media that have the job of telling the Northern Ireland story - it is a Government responsibility, and the responsibility of the Executive and the Assembly. As has been said, it is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, and the film industry, the Arts Council and district councils also have a role in telling the Northern Ireland story.

Those who made submissions to the inquiry recognised that providing, promoting and marketing culture tourism against a backdrop of terrorism was and, to some extent, still is an uphill battle. However, on the positive side, they also said that when broadcasters and the film industry deal with Northern Ireland culture, they could focus more on its richness, variety, and beauty - tipping the scales so that the positive outweighs the negative. Collectively, all the providers of cultural activity need to work harder, in a cohesive and strategic fashion. Those who promote and manage Northern Ireland need to do more to emphasise the positive if we are to attract more tourists to enjoy our rich and varied culture.

One Member in particular has referred to the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, and there is no doubt that it did come in for some criticism. However, would the tourist boards of Wales, Scotland, England, or just across the border in the Republic of Ireland have done a better job through the 30 plus years of terrorism? I doubt it very much.

I commend this report to the Assembly. I know that the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure will give it serious consideration.

We hae a report theday that can chairt the oncum o cultural tourism for a fair fek yeirs ti cum, help forder thrift an mak tourism in our Province yung again. A mukkil betterment can be brocht aboot, but anelie gif a co-ordinate plan is putten thegither an actit on.

The heid raison fowk cums ti Norlin Airland is veisitin feres an freinds, an A believe that's whaur we maun stairt biggin up tourism potential. Awmaist 45% o aw fowk veisitin the Province faws intil that categorie. Monie o us believes that tourism is wantin virr an smeddum at the meinit. Takkin tent til that thocht, that's whitfor it's that importin ti pouss forrit wi forderin furth-o-state cultural tourism insteid o daein it in the fushionless wey the NITB's duin it up til nou. Alang wi tyauvin at forderin tourism, the local mercat maun pley its pairt wi a qualitie airts sector no blate ti grup the potential for furth-o-state veisitors. Lat's be perfit apen here - veisitors ti Norlin Airland disnae cum luikin a "sand and sun" holiday, for we cannae gie onie uphauld for the lyke. Whit we can gie thaim in Norlin Airland is cultur, heirskip an the airts, an as a niche mercat it haulds on growein. The NITB haes seen a meiserable failyie in its ettils at forderin an mercatin the Province an maun awn its responsibeilitie for tint yeirs in tourism growthe an oncum. Lat's tak a keek at the feigurs - juist 1·8% o Norlin Airland domestic product cums fae tourism, but the Erse Republic, Scotland an Wales aw cums oot aroun 6%. It's patent that the'r a bittie makkin up ti dae, an, again, the evident is that the'r no mukkil been duin for yeirs. September 11 haes been a catalyst for the USA an, atweill, the haill warld, an it's thocht that a focus on the mercats o Europe, Gret Britain an the Erse Republic wad gie us mair o a heft. Still an on, the USA can - an soud - be a pynt for cultural tourism. USA ceitizens haes a hert-hunger for finndin thair ruits an historie, an that mercat cannae be slung a deifie aither.

Today's report can chart the future for cultural tourism for a great many years to come. It can help to bring an economic boost and rejuvenate tourism in the Province. A vast improvement can be made, but only if a co-ordinated plan is put together and acted upon.

The principal reason that people come to Northern Ireland is to visit friends and relatives. That is where we must start to increase tourism potential. Almost 45% of all people visiting the Province fall into that category. Many of us feel that tourism currently has no push or energy behind it. Therefore, it is vital that out-of-state cultural tourism is promoted aggressively and not in the namby-pamby way practised by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board up until now.

In tandem with aggressive tourism promotion, the local market must play its part with a quality arts sector, anxious to seize the potential for out-of-state visitors. Let us be perfectly honest: visitors do not come to Northern Ireland because they are seeking a "sand and sun" holiday; we cannot guarantee that. In Northern Ireland, we offer the growing niche market of cultural heritage and the arts.

The Northern Ireland Tourist Board has failed miserably to promote and market the Province and has been singularly responsible for the lost years of tourism growth and development. Let us look at the figures. Only 1·8% of Northern Ireland's gross domestic product comes from tourism, while the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales all average approximately 6%. It is apparent that there is some catching up to do, and there is evidence that not much has been done for years.

The events of 11 September were a catalyst for the USA and the whole world. It is felt that a focus on the markets of Europe, Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland would be more advantageous. However, the USA can, and should, be a point for cultural tourism. American citizens are hungry to find their roots and hungry for history; that potential market cannot be ignored either.

We need world-class events. The rest of Great Britain has several world-class and major international events. We must see a push to bring at least one or two events to the Province each year. While the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and the roles of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Tourism Ireland Ltd must be clarified, and the benefits for our Province must then be taken advantage of, it is not enough to talk about what must be done. Let us see a clear strategy within specific goals to develop each sector.

It is especially worrying that so many of the organisations giving evidence were critical of their dealings with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. Most Members have referred to that. There has been a breakdown in the Tourist Board's customer services, and failure to return phone calls or to respond to requests paints a very damming picture of it. District councils have an important part to play in promoting cultural tourism. In fairness to it, the Tourist Board has acknowledged that it could improve on what it is doing. We urge it to galvanise itself, grasp the nettle and actively promote cultural tourism.

We have looked at the diversity of themes and sectors and at the responsibilities we have for our cultural heritage. How can we encourage a good quality of life for the whole community? Promotion and development could be undertaken by the cultural strategy for Northern Ireland.

Cultural tourism can unlock many doors to benefit the entire Province, but that can only happen if the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and the Tourist Board, as part of that Department, grasp the initiative collectively. Up until now, they have failed to do so. They should accept constructive criticism, accept that things have gone wrong in the past and move forward with zeal and enthusiasm so that all tangible benefits are grasped and made the most of. It is in front of us, like an apple ready to be picked, but we must get it right. That is more vital today than it has ever been. I commend the report's recommendations to the House.

Reference was made during a debate yesterday to empty Benches, and we have empty Benches again today. All Members in the Chamber, with the exception of Mr Gibson, are members of the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure. This is one of the most important reports to be brought before the Assembly. When we read the papers we cannot fail to see the words "culture", "arts" and "leisure", yet we see from the gathering today just how interested Members who are not on that Committee are. Indeed, there are more people in the Public Gallery than in the Chamber. However, I welcome the opportunity to comment on the report of the Committee's inquiry into cultural tourism and the arts, and I will focus on the strategic planning and development section. That section says that the Tourist Board does not have an overall objective that shows what it is trying to achieve and what its limitations are. Every successful organisation needs to have a purpose, and the work of the organisation should be focused around it.

The Committee took evidence from several organisations that referred to the poor performance of the Tourist Board. I note that its co-operative plan for 2002-05 has a vision of increasing the number of visitors by 7% each year over that period. The Committee hopes that the board will recognise the important part that culture can play in attracting more visitors to Northern Ireland. As a result, recommendation 40 says that

I want to promote recommendation 41. It refers to

and what that would offer to tourism. The objective behind such a day would be to emphasise the importance of celebrating the wonderful culture that exists in Northern Ireland.

It is vital that the Department take the lead in pursuing that matter, working closely with other Departments and bodies. Various groups support the idea of a heritage day, and it has been suggested that the theme of the day could be changed annually to ensure that all cultural groups are supported and represented.

The Tourist Board must undertake research to analyse and understand exactly what attracts visitors to our Province. By so doing, it will be able to determine what will encourage potential visitors in future, and thus it will be able to increase visitor numbers. That task must not be undertaken in isolation but in close conjunction with other relevant tourist bodies in mainland UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Departments, district councils, non-departmental public bodies, attraction operators, accommodation providers, transport undertakings, tour companies and other bodies, such as the National Trust and the Northern Ireland Events Company, must work together more effectively. In that respect, the creation of Tourism Ireland Ltd should promote greater co-operation and allow the Northern Ireland Tourist Board to invest greater energy and resources in promoting Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

The formation of formal local networks of cultural partners and tourist attraction operators is important. Those networks would develop theme-based package tours and trails, and they should be assisted by local tourism action plans, with attraction clusters within a specific locale that would allow visitors to have a range of cultural and heritage experiences.

The report states that the Committee was encouraged by the work of the individual product groups and their working parties in the cultural tourism partnership. Specific action must be taken on the conclusion and strategies outlined in the 2002 progress report, including the development of networks and branding exercises. Recommendation 47 suggests that policies and measures should be monitored, evaluated and reviewed to allow for continual improvement in the industry, and appropriate structures should be established to allow for such improvement.

I thank the members of the Committee, the Chairperson and the Deputy Chairperson for the work that they have put in, and I record my thanks to the Committee staff for their commitment and attention to detail. I hope that the Minister will give the report the serious consideration that it rightly deserves.

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