The Government has been urged to implement an integrated coastal zone management system which would permit sailing tourism to achieve full potential.
Some £18 million a year is spent on sport sailing. However, bureaucratic duplication and lack of infrastructure is hindering further development, a report published yesterday by the Irish Sailing Association (ISA) says.
The report by Brady Shipman Martin, launched for the association by the Minister for the Marine, Dr Woods, recommends establishing an inter-departmental committee to co-ordinate policies and programmes on sailing and other leisure boating activities. It also recommends including a marine facilities section in the county plan of every local authority with a marine border.
Apart from tourists, about 50,000 people are involved in sailing in the Republic, with almost 100,000 more in other leisure boating activity, the report says.
It notes there is a significantly larger number of people interested than there are members of sailing clubs. This suggests that the activity is still regarded as "elitist", and it says the activity must be made more accessible.
As a tourism activity, sailing is regarded as "high-spend, low volume", it says. Of some £18.6 million generated in 1995 (a figure given by the Marine Institute) some £11.48 million was derived from the domestic market, with the balance coming from visiting sailors.
Visitors, naturally, tend to spend far more; during Ford Cork Week, for instance, the average daily "spend" for out-of-state participants is estimated at £60.
The report says the current level of infrastructure cannot cope with existing and future demand. It says financial levies on clubs by public authorities for "access facilities" is seen as a serious disincentive.
These levies include charges for foreshore licences, payable to the Department of the Marine; mooring and berthing charges, payable to the harbour authority; and rates, payable to the local authority.
It recommends construction of more slipways at strategic coastal locations and on inland waterways, and the upgrading of existing structures to cope with an increase in the use of craft moved by trailer.
It also recommends a network of moorings or pontoons must be made available for casual domestic boat-users and also for visiting sailors. A project to provide such moorings has now been over three years in "gestation", it says.
The proposed inter-departmental committee should include representatives of six government departments involved, and says it should be linked to a formal coastal zone management system if this is adopted.
Speaking at the issuing of the report last night in Dublin, the Minister, Dr Woods, said he was working closely with his colleague, the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr McDaid, on a development strategy.
