Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and I think we all agree he has done a fine job since his appointment. Tourism is one of Ireland's vital economic sectors and, as others said, it stood us well in difficult times in the past. Further, it has significant potential to play a greater role in Ireland's continuing economic renewal as it has far-reaching benefits for all areas of society. This is felt throughout the country.
The past two years have seen Ireland's stock as a tourist destination rise exponentially. In October Ireland was named the fifth best place to travel in 2015 by the world's most influential travel publication, theLonely Planet guide. Last year saw an 11.9% increase on 2012 overseas tourist revenue figures - the total in this area for 2013 amounted to €3.3 billion, excluding carrier receipts. Combining data from the domestic market and data relating to international visitors gives total tourism revenue of around €5.7 billion for 2013 - I am sure the Minister is aware of this - and some €1.4 billion of this benefits the Exchequer through taxation.
As Senator Brennan noted, overall trips to Ireland were up 7.2% in 2013 and the number of visitors from North America was up by an impressive 13.9%. Meanwhile, visits from our nearest neighbour, Britain, which had slumped badly, have increased hugely. Although visitor numbers for 2013 may be attributed, in part, to The Gathering, figures for the first ten months of this year look very good indeed - there is an upward trajectory and overall visits are up 9.3%, compared to 2013. In fact, figures released this morning, to which Senator Brennan referred, show a 14.5% rise in the first ten months of 2014, compared to the same period last year. The number of North American tourists visiting Ireland increased by 20.9% to an overall figure of 439,900 compared to the same period last year. We love to see Americans come to Ireland for many reasons, not least because they are very good spenders, so they are very welcome.
Tourism can help shape Ireland's image and attractiveness as a place for international companies to invest and data from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, reveals that business trips to Ireland and conference activity are up 5.1%. This is an important part of the overall figure. The Gathering was a very clever Government initiative and the visa waiver programme, mentioned by Senator Brennan, has been also very significant, as has the reduction of the VAT rate to 9%. I campaigned for the VAT reduction because it also has been a crucial factor in our attractiveness to tourists. I agree with previous speakers on the competitiveness of our hotel sector as Ireland had a reputation as a poor value reputation but has managed to rid itself of this, largely. It is regrettable that the hotel sector seems to be poor value and I agree with the other Senators who said this requires attention. It does not take long for word to spread internationally that Ireland has become expensive again and we must not damage the overall tourism product. Hotels in Dublin are guilty of adding on extra euros now that the economy and tourism is improving but this may be the case throughout the country. It is a difficult area on which we must keep an eye.
Many Senators mentioned the Wild Atlantic Way and this fantastic initiative has proved very popular, not least due to its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. The Wild Atlantic Way has been compared by the Lonely Planetguide to South Africa's garden route as a top global attraction. That guide also said that quintessential Ireland is found in picturesque small towns and villages, something we all know. With this in mind, we must ensure stricter planning regulations in small towns to prevent architectural eyesores.
Exciting new enterprises by Fáilte Ireland, such as Dublin plus and culture and heritage south-east, will no doubt contribute to the continuing upward trajectory of tourism. In spite of the highly encouraging rise in tourism figures, there are areas that could be developed, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, China, India and the Middle East. Our agencies abroad do very good work in these markets. We sponsored the honeymoon trip to Ireland of a couple who were well known in their homeland of China. This was widely televised in China so it is a very clever way to promote Ireland abroad. The territories I mentioned will be the fastest growing markets in the coming years. The World Tourism Organisation forecasts that the Asia Pacific region will be one of the fastest growing outbound regions with an average expansion of 6.5% per year over the next 15 years. From a purely economic point of view, it should be remembered that visitors from these markets stay twice as long and are great spenders - we like to see them coming. They are also more likely to travel throughout the island, thus ensuring the love is shared in terms of money spent.
I commend the Minister on his excellent work.