Written answers

Thursday, 12 January 2012

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport

Tourism Industry

5:00 pm

Photo of Jim DalyJim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 23: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the number of overseas visitors to Ireland in 2011; and his targets for 2012. [1339/12]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 25: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans for increasing tourist numbers in 2012 ahead of The Gathering in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1534/12]

Photo of Eoghan MurphyEoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 56: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the number of overseas visitors to Ireland in 2011; and his targets for 2012. [1494/12]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 23, 25 and 56 together.

The target for overseas visits in 2012, set out in the Marketing Plan of Tourism Ireland, the agency with responsibility for marketing Ireland as a holiday destination overseas, is to increase visit numbers to Ireland by a further 4.5%. This will build on the growth in visits achieved in 2011, for the first time since 2007. While final statistics in relation to overseas visits to Ireland in 2011 are still being compiled by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), figures for the first 11 months of 2011 were published by the CSO on Monday 9 January. These show that there were just over 6 million overseas visits to Ireland in that period, an increase of 6.8% compared to the corresponding period of 2010. Numbers of visits to Ireland grew from all our main market areas, including Great Britain, our largest and most important tourism market.

To help achieve the targeted growth, I have allocated over €39 million this year for overseas tourism marketing which allows Tourism Ireland to implement its Plan, as well as funding Fáilte Ireland's enterprise supports and product development. Prioritising tourism marketing investment, along with continued implementation of other measures in the Programme for Government and the Jobs Initiative to support levels of access and enhance competitiveness, such as the Visa Waiver Scheme, the lower VAT rate for tourism services, and continued investment in tourism infrastructure and product, will provide the platform on which the tourism industry, working in partnership with the tourism agencies, can deliver this growth. Our targets for 2012 will in turn be built on by The Gathering 2013, the largest ever tourism initiative for Ireland, which aims to deliver an additional 325,000 visitors to Ireland in 2013.

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 24: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to improve the tourist experience here through the use of mobile Internet devices and applications similar to and including the culturefox app; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1540/12]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The provision of information to tourists including through facilities such as mobile internet devices is an operational matter for Fáilte Ireland. I am aware, for example, that Fáilte Ireland launched a free Discover Ireland app for Apple and Android mobile operating systems during the summer of 2011. For further information, I have referred the Deputy's Question to Fáilte Ireland for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.

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