Dáil debates

Thursday, 5 May 2022

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions

Tourism Funding

10:00 am

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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10. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the proportion of the annual tourism budget which is spent on research and development of the tourism product; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22112/22]

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I want to ask the Minister of State the proportion of the annual tourism budget which is spent on research and development of the tourism product.

Photo of Jack ChambersJack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's role in tourism lies primarily in the area of national tourism policy development and in securing resources to assist the tourism agencies in implementing that policy. With specific regard to research and development of our tourism product, this is an operational matter for Fáilte Ireland as the national tourism development authority. With regard to expenditure on research and development, Fáilte Ireland has advised that in 2021 it spent a total of €2.6 million on research relating to consumer planning and insights and on economic and industry analysis. Informed by the results of this research, Fáilte Ireland takes a strategic and insights-based approach to its investment in tourism product development in line with its tourism investment strategy 2016 to 2022, which sets out the overall framework for capital investment in tourism infrastructure to stimulate innovation and improve international competitiveness. This investment also aligns with the national objectives laid out in Project Ireland 2040 and the provision in the national development plan 2021 to 2030, NDP, for the delivery of enhanced amenity through capital investment in tourism product development and enhancement, with a particular focus on tourist attractions and activity-based tourism to provide the type and quality of experience that visitors are seeking.

Fáilte Ireland’s capital funding programme comprises a large grants scheme, that is now under the platforms for growth investment programme, which targets project categories that have the greatest potential to grow and support sustainable tourism. It also includes individual grant schemes, strategic partnerships with other bodies and direct investment in experience brand infrastructure. Its objective is to optimise key assets for the benefit of tourism and sustainable economic development while also increasing the geographic spread of visitors, promoting season extension and supporting sustainable growth management. At regional and local level, Fáilte Ireland develops, supports and promotes tourism in line with the relevant tourism experience brands, which provide the overarching context for related product development, marketing and enterprise supports. Looking to the future, officials in my Department have commenced the development of a new national tourism policy. This will provide an updated policy context for future tourism product development.

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I remember asking this question in 2017 when I was spokesperson on Dublin. Tourism is an invisible export, which must be worth billions. It has always concerned me to think that Fáilte Ireland, the tourism agency body, spends so little on research into tourism. It spent €2.6 million in 2021, which is risible. I imagine the research budgets for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and its agencies; Enterprise Ireland; the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; and science are multiples of this and tourism is such an incredibly valuable product for Ireland. It always amazes me that so little is spent on tourism research, not just for visitors coming from Ireland but for visitors within Ireland to ask them what they want to see in their cities and towns from a tourism perspective. I want to get the Minister of State's perspective on that.

Photo of Jack ChambersJack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is correct in saying that tourism is worth hundreds of millions - billions - of euro to the Irish economy and that is why I said that €2.6 million has been spent to produce those consumer planning insights and on an economic and industry analysis. The results of this research are used to inform a strategic approach to investment in tourism product development. As I have referenced previously, there is a new tourism policy development, which we launched in 2023. That will inform the prioritisation of spending lines.

Specific decisions related to expenditure not made by the Minister or her Department are made by Fáilte Ireland as the national tourism development authority. However, research carried out with the €2.6 million provides a strategic insight and enables much of the data to be upheld on promoting tourism. That research and insight is used to promote tourism across the board.

10:10 am

Photo of John LahartJohn Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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While this is not a criticism and the Minister of State is an esteemed colleague, €2.6 million is a very small budget that would build three special needs classrooms. The Minister of State will have heard me speak about the following things before. I would love to see research into how we can replicate Culture Night in Dublin. It is one night per year and yet it absolutely transforms the city. One rarely sees families in Dublin but on Culture Night, the city is populated with families. We have many art galleries but when we look at the tradition, history and reach of Irish music internationally, we see we have no tourist offering, whether for people at home or for visitors from abroad. One of my ambitions is for a good look to be taken at the Customs House. It houses the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It is not fit for purpose for a modern Department that preaches the climate action piece. It would make an incredible city-centre based museum as a showcase for the history of music in Ireland from O'Carolan right through to contemporary musicians. What a site and location it is and could be as a tourist attraction. We could put a bit of money into Culture Night and the Customs House in terms of research and the tourist offering in the city centre.

Photo of Jack ChambersJack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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In 2021, 1.1% of Tourism Ireland's core budget was spent on research. In 2022, research will account for 2.52% of the core budget. I appreciate what he has outlined around certain areas that warrant research and a focus. A number of ad hoc projects in specialised areas are being undertaken to try to embrace opportunities for the tourism economy to recover first.

Tourism Ireland in 2022 continued to undertake the Covid tracker research programme to track travel behaviours and identify the potential opportunities and barriers on the road to recovery of tourism. It will undertake research on segmentation, which will allow it look again at an overseas holidaymaker segmentation model. It will carry out more research on sustainability as it implements the learnings from the 2021 sustainability research. It will also carry out brand and campaign testing through the year, as well as ad hocprojects to support the priorities of the organisation. As an example, Tourism Ireland undertook research on the UK Nationality and Borders Bill in March and April to help inform our position on the issue prior to meeting with key stakeholders such as the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. However, I will bring the Deputy's feedback on what he has referenced. I appreciate what he has outlined.

Question No. 11 answered with Question No. 9.