Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to have an opportunity to address the Seanad in regard to the bid to host the 2018 Gay Games in Limerick, and I thank Senator Power for raising the matter.

The Gay Games is a major event, with over 10,000 participants and their families expected to travel to the host city. Limerick is very well placed to provide a superb backdrop to what would be the tenth Gay Games in 2018. The city can boast some of the finest sporting facilities in Ireland and a rich heritage and history for all visitors to enjoy. It is clear that others agree, as Limerick has been short-listed as one of three remaining cities to host the games.

Fáilte Ireland's events tourism programme is a key driver of high yield, high value international visitors to the country, a fact recognised in the programme for Government. It is a central component in increasing visitor numbers, as well as promoting the country as a world-class tourism destination, through the international publicity and exposure for Ireland. The programme is made up of three components: corporate events, cultural events, and sports events. To date this year, Fáilte Ireland is supporting 147 conference applications for bids and marketing support for committed conferences. These conferences represent 80,000 international delegates and have a potential estimated business value of €107 million.

Festivals and events are also an important part of the event-based tourism portfolio. They are an integral part of what Ireland offers as a destination while, at the same time, affording an opportunity for increased overseas visitors and revenue. This year Fáilte Ireland will fund over 198 festivals across the country through the festivals and participative events initiative.

The third aspect of event-based tourism, sports, gives us an opportunity to show that a small country can host major sporting events, whether it is the Tall Ships Race in Waterford and Dublin, the Ryder Cup or Solheim Cup in golf, or the co-hosting with Northern Ireland of the Giro D'ltalia bicycle race in 2014. Ireland has shown that it can host these events in an efficient and capable manner and provide a great experience for spectators and participants alike.

In addition to generating direct overseas visitors, hosting significant events allows us to provide a great showcase for Ireland as a country. Many thousands around the world watch major sports events on television and this presents a great opportunity to show a positive image of Ireland. We want people to choose Ireland as a holiday destination and the exposure that key sports events give us helps us to put Ireland on many thousands of travel itineraries for this year and beyond.

Looking beyond this year, the Giro D'ltalia bicycle race in 2014 is the next major international sporting event that we will host on the island of Ireland, with the event being jointly supported by the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government. The visit of the Giro D'ltalia will commence with two stages in Northern Ireland, with the final day starting in Armagh and finishing in Dublin. I wish to pay tribute to the efforts of the Northern Ireland Executive, in particular the Minister for the Enterprise, Trade and Investment, for their determination to secure the Giro D'ltalia 2014, and for the support being provided to the event. I am hopeful that this momentum in securing major events can be sustained in the coming years.

With regard to the bid to host the 2018 Gay Games in Limerick, I was delighted to provide a letter of support endorsing the bid and assuring the organisers of my full support through Fáilte Ireland. Fáilte Ireland, through the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, has been assisting the bid organiser, Limerick Pride, in its preparation of the bid. This support has included direct financial assistance, as well as working with the local business community in Limerick to raise finance towards submitting the bid.

Limerick has been short-listed along with London and Paris, seeing off competition from Florida and Amsterdam. Tremendous credit for this achievement is due to Limerick Pride and the Limerick 2018 committee. Local business, tourism and sporting interests along with state agencies have been supportive of the bid and this represents a great example of a community coming together to achieve a common purpose.

While London and Paris represent significant competition for Limerick, I wish the organisers the very best of luck and I can assure them of continuing assistance from the State tourism agencies and the Department as the bid process enters the final stages. I will give the Gay Games bid whatever support I can and I am glad to hear the issue will be raised with the Taoiseach next week. If the British Government supports it, we also support it. We love to see major events coming into Ireland because not only does it bring revenue, it shows we can host events. That is why we are helping the IRFU to bring the rugby world cup to Ireland in 2024. It is important we secure those events because we can deliver in terms of spectators and organisation. I hope we can secure this major event for 2018.