Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 14: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his views on a recent report by Fáilte Ireland that the Ryder Cup injected €143 million into the economy and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19253/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Following Ireland's successful hosting of the Ryder Cup in September of last year, Fáilte Ireland, in conjunction with the PGA / European Tour, commissioned Deloitte and Touche, Consultants, to conduct an economic impact assessment on the Ryder Cup in Ireland. According to the Report, the findings of which were announced in April last, the 2006 Ryder Cup was worth a record €143 million to the Irish economy. This total direct economic impact figure of €143 million exceeded pre-event predictions of €130 million and represented a significant 32% increase on the impact of the 2002 Ryder Cup in England and an 80% increase on that of the 1997 Ryder Cup in Spain. It also, I understand, excluded the "downstream" effect of the additional expenditure generated by The Ryder Cup, where direct spending is recycled through the economy, bringing further benefit. By applying carefully selected economic models, Deloitte calculated that when this effect is taken into account, the full impact of the 2006 Ryder Cup on the Irish Economy was around €240 million. However, not only did the Report provide welcome confirmation that the total economic benefit of the event to the economy comfortably exceeded earlier estimates, it also confirmed previously reported perceptions about our visitors' experience, with over 80% suggesting that they would return to Ireland in the future and 92% prepared to recommend Ireland as a golfing holiday destination. The challenge now for our tourism agencies and for the industry generally is to build on that positive outcome and to ensure that the legacy of the Ryder Cup 2006 is secured for the benefit of Irish tourism.