Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 233: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the degree to which he has studied tourism figures for each of the regions; if he plans to take steps to address imbalances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37886/09]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show a reduction of 10.9% in the number of overseas visitors to Ireland for the first eight months of 2009 compared with the corresponding period of 2008. Although the figures are down compared to 2008, we still welcomed almost five million overseas visitors in the first eight months of the year.

While any reduction in the number of overseas visitors is disappointing, it must be seen in context. Ireland enjoyed several years of successive growth in visitor numbers, reaching a record of just over 8 million in 2007. There is no doubt that the period to date in 2009 has been very difficult for tourism globally. With regard to the Irish tourist industry, there have been significant declines in GDP, personal spending and consumer confidence across all our major source markets. Exchange rates, particularly the dollar and sterling, and reduced air access to the island of Ireland have also impacted negatively on the flow of visitors.

The domestic market is an increasingly important component of the tourism business in Ireland particularly in terms of seasonal and regional spread, accounting for 28% of overall visitor revenues in 2008. Statistics on the regional spread of tourism in 2008 also show that 94% of holiday nights by domestic tourists were spent outside the Dublin area with 92% of domestic holiday expenditure being generated outside the capital. This offsets, to some extent, the relative strength of Dublin in the overseas visitors market where it accounted for almost 37% of visitor revenues in 2008.

While the regions outside of Dublin earn 70% of all Tourism revenue (based on 2008 figures) the fact that all regions and sectors are not benefiting to the same extent from our tourism industry continues to be a matter for attention from the Department and the State tourism agencies as tourism policy and programmes evolve.

I am confident that the regional tourism development strategies for the period 2008-2010 that have been prepared by the Regional Tourism Development Boards and are currently being implemented are facilitating the tourism industry to maximise its contribution to the regions, and that the various region-specific initiatives managed by Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland Limited will further help to address this situation.