Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his proposals to ensure the future and competitiveness of the tourism industry here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11159/08]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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In considering the competitiveness of any industry, a key measure is the extent to which it can maintain and increase market share. We have been fortunate in recent years to enjoy record growth in numbers of overseas visitors and associated revenue. The Central Statistics Office, CSO, figures for 2007 show that we welcomed over 8 million overseas visitors to the Republic of Ireland, with associated foreign revenue earnings of almost €5 billion. While the international tourism market is becoming increasingly competitive, Ireland has consistently outperformed its key competitors in terms of growing the number of overseas visitors to our shores.

With regard to the future, I am pleased that the tourism agencies are forecasting that the Irish tourism industry will show further growth. At a tourism sectoral meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council last November, Minister Nigel Dodds and I approved Tourism Ireland's corporate plan for 2008-10. This plan contains ambitious and challenging targets for tourism for the island of Ireland over the next three years. It aims to increase overseas visitor numbers by between 4.2% and 5.1%, which, if achieved, would mean total overseas visitors to the island of Ireland of over 10.5 million in 2010.

The plan also sets tourism revenue growth targets of between 6.6% and 7.1%, which, if achieved, would mean that overseas tourism would generate up to €16 billion in tourism revenues for the island of Ireland in the three-year period. While the targets are ambitious, there is little doubt that global economic factors such as currency and oil prices are likely to impact on the number of outward travellers from some of our most important markets such as North America and Great Britain. Whereas we have little influence in relation to such global economic factors, our agencies monitor market performance during the year and adjust their marketing campaigns as appropriate.

Among Tourism Ireland's priorities for this year are an even greater focus on e-marketing, continued attention to the car touring market in Great Britain and targeted marketing activity around key access hubs in mainland Europe and North America. In terms of domestic tourism, Fáilte Ireland will continue to focus on key issues relating to product development, enterprise development, regional development, environment, education and training, and advocacy. In terms of targets, Fáilte Ireland has a target of achieving annual average growth of 3.7% in domestic holidays for the period to 2012.

Maintaining and enhancing competitiveness is a major issue for Irish tourism as it is for the economy as a whole. In addressing that issue, it is important to bear in mind that competitiveness is about more than price and costs. It is generally agreed that Ireland cannot and, indeed, should not attempt to compete on the basis of costs with mass tourism destinations. The tourism agencies continue to monitor Ireland's competitiveness as a tourism destination and I am encouraging them to assist the industry in responding to changing conditions through a variety of programmes in marketing, human resource development, quality enhancement, product development and productivity. By doing this I am confident that the ambitious targets I outlined for the island of Ireland can be met.