Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to hear what Deputy Timmins and Deputy Deenihan said. We have a lot of people claiming the Wild Atlantic Way but I wish to put on record that this Government put in the funding and instructed our agency, Fáilte Ireland, to make sure that happened. I have led the campaign myself. I am delighted that I am in that region.

When the Wild Atlantic Way was announced a lot of people said it would not work, that it was another idea nobody would do anything about. I went to public meetings where people said it would not work and that it would not deliver anything to the west. The Wild Atlantic Way has been the greatest initiative that has ever happened to the west. It starts in west Cork, goes into Clare, Galway, Leitrim, Sligo and Mayo. It has gone into areas where tourists had not gone for many years. People have discovered areas they never knew anything about.

The one bit of advice I will give to Deputy Timmins and the tourism sector in his area is that if people want to support Ireland’s Ancient East they must buy into it. If they do not sell it and the people in the tourism sector do not sell it, it will not work. They must get involved.

I will turn to the scripted reply now but I wished to give Deputy Timmins my response first. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue with me. Tourism has been a priority for this Government from the outset. We have long recognised the contribution of overseas tourism to the Irish economy. That is why we continue to invest in tourism marketing and in supporting our tourism businesses to enhance their competitiveness. Our policies on air travel tax and VAT have helped to improve the value on offer for our visitors.

I welcome the opportunity to advise the House with regard to the new tourism experience brand, Ireland's Ancient East, which is being developed by Fáilte Ireland and which will capitalise on the wealth of history and culture that abounds in the east and south of Ireland. It is a series of attractive clusters of places to visit, linking some of our most iconic sites like Newgrange and the Boyne Valley in the north east, through the midlands, along Kilkenny's Medieval Mile to Waterford's Viking Quarter and Cork's many cultural gems. For visitors, it is a journey through 5,000 years of history in 500 miles. Its development is part of a larger strategic approach in which our tourism offering is tailored to appeal to consumer segments that research has indicated are most likely to select Ireland as a visitor destination. Ireland's Ancient East will appeal in particular to the culturally curious audience in overseas markets. These are independent, active sightseers, who are typically looking to visit new places and expand their experience by exploring landscapes, history and culture.

In terms of the overseas marketing of Ireland's Ancient East, this is the operational responsibility of Tourism Ireland. In recent months, Tourism Ireland, working in close collaboration with Fáilte Ireland, has been developing marketing material on Ireland's Ancient East for its 2016 overseas marketing campaigns and for the lreland.comsuite of websites for international markets. Ireland's Ancient East launches have already taken place overseas, including at Tourism Ireland events in the United States, France, Italy and at the World Travel Market in London. Tourism Ireland will highlight Ireland's Ancient East experience in key markets through publicity, media and trade visits, social media, digital marketing activity and briefings for the travel trade.

Earlier this week, the Minister, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, and I were delighted to announce further funding of €1 million to Ireland's Ancient East, which will ensure that we maintain the momentum of this initiative and build on the impressive tourism assets we have in the east and south of the country. As this project evolves and grows, I am confident that it will be a perfect complement to the Wild Atlantic Way in the west and that it will generate significant additional visitors, revenue and tourism jobs in the east.

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