Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Question 58: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his views on the 3% decrease in visitors from Britain in the first half of 2007 and the 1% decrease in UK visitors bed night sales in the same period; his proposals to take advantage of the lucrative UK tourism market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23958/07]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 59: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the reasons for the drop in visitor numbers from Britain by 3% in the first half of 2007; his views on whether this trend will continue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25664/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 58 and 59 together.

The latest figures published by the Central Statistics Office show that there was an increase of over 4.1% in the number of overseas visitors to Ireland in the first eight months of the year compared to the same period in 2006. While it will be challenging to maintain the record-breaking performance of 2006, these latest CSO figures confirm that Ireland's tourism sector continues to perform at a very impressive level.

The number of visitors from Britain for the first eight months of the year is down by 1% compared to the same period in 2006. However, figures for the four months from May to August show that there has been a good level of recovery in this market with each of the four months recording an increase in visitor numbers from Britain compared to the same months in 2006. I am hopeful that this trend will continue in the coming months. I am pleased to note also that the numbers coming to Ireland from Britain, for Holiday purposes, were actually up by almost 4% for the first half of the year. Also, there is evidence that the decline in sea passenger traffic, seen in recent years has halted. The sea carriers are reporting encouraging numbers and this is positive for both regional dispersal and length of stay.

The drop in visitors from Britain in the early part of the year is consistent with a general trend of reduced numbers of outward travellers from Great Britain to European destinations. It is believed that interest rate increases and other factors may be impacting on consumer discretionary spending power.

Successful marketing, in any field, does require ongoing monitoring of markets and appropriate adjustment of campaigns. Tourism is no exception. An intense period of marketing activity is under way in Britain this autumn. Attractive city break packages are a key element of this autumn campaign, focusing particularly on cities with direct links to the regions in Ireland. A programme is also in place to attract motoring visitors. In addition to TV and radio, Tourism Ireland has extensive print campaigns in national media and specialist titles. In line with its now established reputation for innovative marketing, I understand that Tourism Ireland has devised some novel on-line promotions.

Great Britain continues to be the largest single market for the island of Ireland. Competition in this market is intense with new destinations on offer to the consumer. In this highly competitive environment and against a background of changing consumer travel patterns, it remains a challenge to continue to deliver growth.

While it is difficult to forecast exactly for the rest of the year, Tourism Ireland informs me that, in its opinion, the second half of the year is likely to be positive and that total visitor numbers for the year will be in line with last year's figures.