Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 337: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport if she has specific targets for the number of tourists and the amount of money generated in the economy here as a result of the London 2012 Olympics; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41712/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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A high-level coordinating group, chaired by my Department, is identifying opportunities that may arise for Ireland, across the sports, tourism and cultural sectors, from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The group comprises representatives from Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland, the Arts Council, Culture Ireland, the Irish Sports Council, the Olympic Council of Ireland, Paralympic Council of Ireland and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The discussions of the group are taking into account the current economic situation and the findings of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Task Force Report which was published last year. The Task Force report made a number of recommendations arising from an audit carried out of high quality sports facilities in Ireland and the findings of a report by Indecon International Economic Consultants on the economic evaluation of the benefit to the island of Ireland of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.

Given our proximity to London and the many accessible routes to and from the United Kingdom, we can benefit from a sporting, tourism and culture perspective. The hosting in Ireland of Olympic and Paralympic teams for training purposes leading up to the Games has potential, while the economic benefits of securing additional tourists to Ireland before, during and after the Games are significant.

In terms of the tourism potential of the event, a number of specific initiatives are being undertaken by the Tourism Agencies to seek to maximise the potential benefits to Irish tourism of having the Olympics in London. These measures include:-

· Working with the official tour operators responsible for co-ordinating the travel arrangements for athletes participating in the Games to ensure that Ireland is included as a destination for pre and post-Olympics packages.

· Arranging pre and post-Olympics familiarisation visits for key media contacts who are attending the London Olympics. These visits will showcase the sports facilities and cultural product on offer throughout Ireland.

· Targeting tourists from London who may wish to get away from the city when the games are in progress, by offering good value offers and packages linked to other events in Ireland and presenting Ireland as a place to escape to and relax.

· Since there will be reduced accommodation and carrier capacity available for visitors who wish to travel to London when the Olympics are on, Tourism Ireland will also be working with UK inbound tour operators to offer alternatives which would fill any gaps in their normal programmes, thereby diverting business to Ireland.

· Fáilte Ireland supported University College Dublin in their launch as a potential Olympic Training camp venue and also supported the European Triathlon Championships this year in Athlone.

These are some of the practical areas of work that are underway. Given the many factors which may have an impact and are as yet uncertain, it is too early to set specific targets for visitor numbers or associated revenue arising from the Olympics at this stage. The High-Level Coordinating Group will continue to meet on an ongoing basis to maximise opportunities from the London 2012 Games and obviously this will influence the benefits to Ireland. The outcome of this work will be reflected in the visitor number and revenue targets contained in Tourism Ireland's 2012 Business Plan which will be prepared next year.