Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 74: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the measures that the Government intends to put in place between now and the Ryder Cup in September 2006 to promote Ireland as a tourist destination; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15162/06]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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The hosting of the Ryder Cup at the K Club in September is a key event for Irish tourism this year and is also a unique opportunity to market all that Ireland has to offer as a tourism destination. The exploitation of that opportunity is a matter for the two tourism agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland Limited.

While the event will undoubtedly contribute significantly to overseas tourism revenues in 2006, the principal benefits of the agreement between Ireland and the European Tour will flow from the promotional package that is part of the agreement and which has extended over the nine years since the agreement was signed. In this context, the Government has made a significant level of resources available to ensure that the tourism spin-off to Ireland and to golfing tourism in particular is maximised.

The Ryder Cup promotional programme is not just about promoting Ireland as a premium golf destination. The media coverage of this major sporting event presents a unique opportunity to market all that Ireland has to offer as a tourism destination. To that end, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland have been working closely together over the last number of years in the lead up to the event to optimise the promotional spin-off, and Tourism Ireland's network of overseas market offices are being deployed to maximise the positive publicity which the TV coverage, with an expected audience of over 1 billion in 150 countries, will generate.

This promotional work will intensify over the course of this year with the allocation of an additional €4.5 million to Fáilte Ireland, in the 2006 Revised Estimates Volume, to support an enhanced programme of marketing and promotional activities around the Ryder Cup, including a national branding programme and a number of golf marketing initiatives. The aim of this programme, to be delivered in conjunction with Tourism Ireland, is to capitalise on the opportunities offered by the unique event that is the Ryder Cup with a view to promoting an enduring positive image of Irish tourism. Fáilte Ireland will also engage with the European Tour for delivery of an appropriate complementary programme of events around the Ryder Cup, including the official opening and closing ceremonies and other initiatives intended to raise the profile of the occasion both within Ireland and internationally. Overall, Ireland's hosting of the Ryder Cup has involved one of the most intensive and sustained tourism event promotion programmes ever undertaken and I have no doubt that the event will be an exciting and spectacular culmination to this campaign.