Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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209. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which he expects to be in a position to use sport as a means of promoting tourism and investment here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37378/14]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Sport is widely enjoyed across Irish society and is beneficial to our economy, health and culture.  The performance of Irish sports people and teams not only boosts the morale of the country but almost promotes a positive image of the country overseas with the potential to generate inbound tourism.

The hosting of major sports events can also deliver additional international visits and helps to put Ireland onto travel itineraries as a holiday destination.  The Giro D'Italia and the American Football match between the University of Central Florida and Penn State earlier this year shows that the island of Ireland can successfully host large international events.

I am supportive of the ongoing efforts of the Tourism Agencies and the National Governing Bodies of Sport to attract international events, subject, of course, to an assessment of the costs/benefits involved in any State financial support.  In that context, I was delighted to see that the FAI and Dublin City Council recently won their bid to host part of the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament at the Aviva stadium, a bid which had my strong support and indeed the support of the Government as a whole.