Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

We are working closely with our partners in Northern Ireland to expand our brands, particularly Ireland's Hidden Heartlands. There is ground for expansion there. I met with Minister Archibald in London last week. We were doing an expo together. It is great to see everyone together trying to push Ireland as a destination. We have discussed a number of areas which we will be supporting through the shared island initiative but also through Tourism Ireland, the all-island body.

There is a huge amount of opportunity. We currently have approximately 46,000 SMEs in the tourism sector. One in every ten jobs is supported in that sector. It is key that we grow its value proposition. I also want to reflect that tourism is now at the heart of the Department of enterprise. There are so many SMEs right around our country that depend on that authentic offering that is really valued all over the world. We will be doing a huge amount to develop business models on our SME side to support the opportunity that there is in the market. I believe we have very bright days ahead. We will hopefully launch our new tourism policy in early December. It will be a big opportunity to show the vision we have as a Government to enhance the product and brand as well as to grow revenues and jobs sustainably. It is also critical that we develop career pathways that are important for people working in the sector.

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