Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 77: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if his Department has examined the possibility of establishing a National Institute for Tourist Innovation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11745/07]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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In recent years, innovation has emerged as a key consideration for most agencies involved in enterprise development, including the key tourism agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. This has been explicitly recognised by the Government which is providing over 6 billion euro for Science Technology and Innovation under the Enterprise, Science and Innovation Priority of the National Development Plan. It is the goal of the strategy that Irish business should, over the life of the NDP, become renowned for the excellence of its research and at the forefront of generating and using new knowledge for economic and social progress, within an innovation driven culture.

There has been a high level of innovation in tourism policy in recent years with the complete overhaul of the institutional arrangements for the implementation of policy, the Report of the Tourism Policy Review Group and the development of a range of programmes and initiatives in product development, marketing and training. Last month I launched Fáilte Ireland's Tourism Product Development Strategy for the period 2007-2013. The strategy is a framework to guide public and private investment in tourism over the next seven years. The Tourism Product Development Review Group recommends the setting up of a National Centre for Innovation in Tourism that will fund ongoing applied research, support innovation and entrepreneurship in tourism SMEs, and embed a culture of innovation in the tourism industry.

As part of a phased implementation of the new product development strategy, Fáilte Ireland is considering this recommendation and is undertaking a preliminary examination of the proposal, taking into account the activities and operations of a number of other relevant bodies and educational institutions already working in this area. In this regard it is important that any proposed National Centre for Innovation is seen to add value and avoid overlap or duplication with established agencies elsewhere.