Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

In budget 2022, the Government allocated €67.6 million in additional funding for tourism, thereby bringing the overall tourism services budget to €288 million. This funding will enable the tourism agencies to assist in the recovery of the sector. The funding allocated to the tourism agencies in 2022 includes €50 million for further business continuity support for strategic tourism businesses and a €35 million increase in the tourism marketing fund as well as €36.5 million in capital funding for tourism product development.

Fáilte Ireland recently unveiled plans to support a sustained and sustainable recovery of the tourism industry this year. The plans include a doubling of domestic marketing investment to €10 million to drive domestic demand including short breaks all year round. The implementation of four regional brand tourism strategies will be critical to driving the long-term recovery of tourism across Ireland and to capitalising on the anticipated growth in inbound tourism in 2022.

There will be further investment in the digital presence of tourism businesses, including enhancing the digital capabilities of more than 400 tourism businesses through Fáilte Ireland's Digital that Delivers programme. A digital audit of more than 800 hotels will be conducted and a suite of digital supports will be rolled out to ensure that businesses are visible, searchable and, most importantly, bookable. Fáilte Ireland will help address staffing and skills issues in the tourism and hospitality sector, including the first-ever excellent employer programme. The agency will assist businesses in their immediate recruitment efforts and help them to commit to driving long-term change and to making the industry an appealing and rewarding workplace that can attract and retain talent.

Fáilte Ireland will continue its investment in new and enhanced and best in class visitor experiences. Projects that will open between now and 2025 will be dispersed throughout the country and will help drive visitor growth with a strong focus on the outdoors. This will be complemented by a strong network of festivals and events such as the Fleadh Cheoil 2022, which I am pleased will return as an in-person physical event, taking place this summer in Mullingar. The Fleadh Cheoil is the world's largest annual celebration of Irish music, language, song and dance and it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the host town.

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