Dáil debates

Thursday, 24 February 2022

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions

Cross-Border Co-operation

9:50 am

Photo of Imelda MunsterImelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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7. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she has had discussions with Tourism Ireland regarding the extension of Fáilte Ireland marketing brands including Ireland’s Ancient East, Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands and the Wild Atlantic Way to include counties in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10218/22]

Photo of Imelda MunsterImelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Has the Minister had discussions with Tourism Ireland regarding the extension of Fáilte Ireland marketing grants, including Ireland's Ancient East, Ireland's Hidden Heartlands and the Wild Atlantic Way to include counties in the North of Ireland? Will she make a statement on the matter?

Photo of Catherine MartinCatherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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As the national tourism development authority, in line with its statutory functions as set out in section 8(1)(a) of the National Tourism Development Authority Act 2003, Fáilte Ireland's role is to support the long-term sustainable growth of tourism in Ireland. Its remit does not extend to jurisdictions outside the State, such as Northern Ireland. Tourism Northern Ireland, which is a non-departmental body of the Department for the Economy in the North, is responsible for the development of tourism in Northern Ireland.

Fáilte Ireland develops, supports and promotes tourism at regional and county level within the State in line with the relevant tourism experience brands, which provide the overarching context for enterprise supports, tourism product development and related marketing. There are four regional tourism experience brands covering all counties of the Republic of Ireland - the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland's Ancient East, Ireland's Hidden Heartlands and Dublin.

Tourism Ireland promotes the island of Ireland in more than 21 markets overseas as a compelling holiday destination, using the Ireland brand to position the island as strongly as possible against the more than 200 other destinations with which Ireland competes. Tourism Ireland promotes Ireland's four regional experience brands, as well as Northern Ireland's experience brand, Embrace a Giant Spirit, on a range of platforms, including online, overseas trade platforms and other publicity.

My Department and both tourism agencies will continue to foster North-South co-operation to enhance an all-island tourism offering and grow international visitor numbers to the entire island. My officials continue to liaise with their counterparts in the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland through monthly meetings and also quarterly operational meetings with both the Department for the Economy and Tourism Ireland.

On 20 January 2022, I took part in a shared island dialogue event hosted by the Department of the Taoiseach, which focused on all-island tourism. Over 160 tourism and civil society stakeholders from across the island joined the event online to discuss the success of tourism co-operation on the island of Ireland over the past 20 years and explore how best to enhance opportunities for domestic and international visitors in the years ahead. Over the course of the dialogue, a number of key themes emerged including the opportunity for greater alignment and linkages between tourism initiatives on the island and further developing on a cross-Border basis the on-island tourism that has grown in response to the pandemic travel restrictions.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

My Department will continue to work with the Department of the Taoiseach to implement our commitments to the North-South development of tourism as included in the shared island chapter of the renewed national development plan. This includes supporting Tourism Ireland in its mission to grow tourism into the island of Ireland, to promote the recovery of the sector post pandemic and to work with the Northern Ireland Executive on developing large-scale North-South tourism initiatives which will support the sustainable growth of the sector including cross-Border walking and cycling trails as well as new market opportunities.

Photo of Imelda MunsterImelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister will be as well aware as I am that Tourism Ireland is tasked with marketing Ireland, North and South. It was created under the Good Friday Agreement alongside the two existing tourism boards.

I suppose my question relates to the lack of joined-up thinking in terms of the national tourism project. For example, the Wild Atlantic Way stops at Donegal despite the fact that the coast goes on into Derry and Antrim, and Ireland's Ancient East does not include Armagh, which would have much to offer in terms of that particular brand. It seems a no-brainer that there is no connection between the two and they are not branding Ireland as an island. Given the success we have had - the past two years have been desperate but we had success in 2019 - when there are bodies set up tasked to that, they do not take advantage of promoting Ireland as an island.

It does not make sense at all not to include Antrim and Derry in the Wild Atlantic Way and the likes of Armagh in Ireland's Ancient East. That is a simple task. Has the Minister taken any steps to promote this issue in particular?

10:00 am

Photo of Catherine MartinCatherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The tourism development authority is acting in line with its statutory functions under the National Tourism Development Authority Act 2003. Fáilte Ireland's remit does not extend to jurisdictions outside the State. From my engagement with Tourism Ireland, I am aware that it does an amazing job in promoting the entire island. Since the establishment of the North-South Ministerial Council under strand two of the Good Friday Agreement, North-South engagement and collaboration in the area of tourism has added great value to the marketing of the island. I have been there and seen the amazing work they are doing in branding the entire island, including the branding and marketing of the Causeway Coastal Route, Ireland's Ancient East, the Wild Atlantic Way, the Global Greening initiative, the development of screen tourism, including the "Game of Thrones" studio tour, which recently opened in Banbridge, the Taste of Ireland food and drink initiative and maximising the tourism benefits of major sporting events. Tourism Ireland does a fantastic job of marketing the island.

Photo of Imelda MunsterImelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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We have a lot to offer and it is nonsensical that tourism experiences stop at the Border. Recently, I met with Tourism Ireland, and I got the distinct impression that it was put on the back-burner. I ask the Minister to flag up to Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland the simple things I pointed out, those no-brainer issues, such as why the Wild Atlantic Way cannot be extended along the coast to Derry and Antrim, and why the likes of Armagh, which has so much to offer, is not included in the Ireland's Ancient East brand. Tourism Ireland agreed with me, but the question is why it is not being done. Why are we not putting as much effort as possible into promoting Ireland as an island, given the success we have had for years in bringing tourists to this country?

Photo of Catherine MartinCatherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The three tourism agencies operate within a balanced ecosystem within the remit of the enabling legislation. Fáilte Ireland supports tourism enterprises in the Republic of Ireland, Tourism Northern Ireland supports enterprises in Northern Ireland, while Tourism Ireland provides opportunities and support for enterprises across the whole island to promote their businesses overseas. As Deputy Munster says, the structures were established following careful consideration under the Good Friday Agreement. Changes to the function and remit of the bodies would require consultation and agreement on a North-South basis. My focus currently is on ensuring that Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland do the best possible job they can within their existing remit and that we continue the close co-operation we have with our colleagues in Northern Ireland to ensure that visitors to this island can enjoy a seamless experience with a wealth of attractions, activities and hospitality on the entire island of Ireland, in particular as we emerge from the pandemic.