Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 127: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the discussions he has had or plans to have with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform on the loss of jobs and revenue in the tourism industry due to visa requirements for countries such as China and India; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8624/10]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, immigration policy is primarily a matter for my colleague the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and its implementation is a matter for the relevant authorities, including the Garda National Immigration Bureau and the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service.

New and Developing Markets, such as India and China, are potentially of significant importance to Irish tourism. Tourism Ireland, which is responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas, conducted a review of New and Developing Markets (including India, China and 17 other markets) that was completed in late 2007. This review found that visitors from these markets stay twice as long as the average holidaymaker, have the highest spend per visit, have a higher propensity to travel throughout the island of Ireland and make significant economic contributions to many elements of the tourism sector. It also highlighted the potential for increased tourism from Asia and the Middle East and set significant targets – to attract a total of 475,000 visitors from New and Developing Markets by 2013. While these targets were set in a very different global economic context, they highlight the long-term potential of these markets.

Obviously, to fully exploit the opportunities presented, Ireland needs to be competitive on all fronts. Visitors from these countries typically require visas to enter Ireland. I am advised that the ability of potential visitors to secure the necessary visas in an efficient and cost-effective manner, when compared with our competitor destinations, is an important element of our competitiveness. In that context, the Recovery Actions recommended by the Tourism Renewal Group in its Framework for Action put forward a number of options to explore, having regard to the complexity of immigration policy and administration.

My Department has engaged with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform in relation to these and related issues on an ongoing basis, most recently while following up on the Report of the Tourism Renewal Group.

The Deputy will appreciate that migration and border controls are complex and sensitive, affecting not only tourism of various kinds but also labour market policies and inward investment, within the overall context of sovereignty. However, I am confident that, working in partnership, the immigration authorities and the tourism bodies can ensure that the visitor experiences of Ireland compare with any of our competitors.