Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her response and for the excellent work she is doing within the Department to support the tourism sector. We must respond quickly to ensure employment return to pre-Covid levels. We were supporting more than 260,000 people within the sector prior to the pandemic and generating revenue of in excess of €9 billion to the Exchequer, with export revenue accounting for €6.9 billion.

I read earlier that Mediterranean countries such as Spain, Greece and Portugal are marketing intensively to welcome UK citizens from June. We need to be in a position to press the green button and ensure Tourism Ireland has adequate funding and a budget. Can the Minister identify what target markets and campaigns Tourism Ireland is planning to ensure we return to pre-Covid levels of tourism? I come from a constituency that has Knock Airport on its doorstep, which is vital for inward tourism from the UK and European market.

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