Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 253: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the extent to which he expects the tourism industry to grow in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15689/04]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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Our tourism agencies have set an ambitious target of approximately 4% growth in visitor numbers again this year. Both Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland have put in place a comprehensive suite of marketing activities across all product niches and markets to help realise those objectives.

In am glad to say that the CSO figures for the first two months of this year show a promising start to the year, with numbers up 10% on the same period in 2003. However, these are very early figures and, if we are to maintain this positive start for the remainder of the year, we must continue to have an unrelenting focus on maintaining competitiveness in a way that is economically sustainable for the sector. With the help of the substantial Government investment this year of over €110m in the sector, the tourism agencies and the industry are well-placed to make the most of the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.