Terry Brennan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As Senator Mullins mentioned, the CSO tourism figures for the first quarter of this year were issued earlier and they are most welcome. It is a positive message. Tourism is a key element of the Government's economic recovery strategy, which sets out ambitious targets for growth in overseas visitors. This will increase revenue and the number of jobs in the tourism sector. Visitor numbers for the first three months of this year are most encouraging with the number from France up 26%; Spain, 28%; and Italy, 36%. These are remarkable increases.This trend is to be commended as these figures represent a wonderful start to 2015. It is a tosnú maith and it is the aim of the Government and Tourism Ireland that 2015 will be the best year ever for Irish tourism. There is no doubt but that this year has seen the best start to the tourism year since the days of the Celtic tiger. The growth to date this year in visitor numbers has been at the strongest rate in more than 15 years, which augurs well for the rest of the year. This year could well be a record year for tourism and the achievements made in this regard to date should be celebrated and acknowledged.