John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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1870. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to the publication of tourist figures by the CSO showing a 5.9% year on year decrease on the number of oversees visits from Great Britain, if this trend is continuing; the steps he is taking to arrest this decline in visitors from Great Britain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27991/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The most recent CSO data showing a decline in the number of British visitors to Ireland this year are a concern. The depreciation in sterling since the Brexit vote means that competitiveness and value for money are more important than ever. Through the the tourism agencies, we are working both to protect our share of the British market and also to promote diversification into other markets.Fáilte Ireland is actively working on a number of fronts to assist the diversification and development of our tourism industry and the attractiveness of our tourism product offering.  As well as already offering a suite of business supports to the sector, it is finalising details of a new targeted Brexit Response Programme. The Brexit Response Programme will focus on building capability in the tourism industry to ensure that the relevant skills and insights are available to tourism enterprises and will provide a range of practical supports to hundreds of businesses. Furthermore, ongoing work to develop the main experience brands and enhance visitor experiences, both through current programme supports and targeted capital investment in attractions and other tourism infrastructure, will also boost Ireland's appeal to key target markets and priority consumer segments. 

Tourism Ireland has put an extensive programme in place in Britain with an increased focus on publicity. It is leading a high level tourism industry delegation to London this week  to discuss how the agencies and tourism industry can best respond to the challenges posed by Brexit. A series of further actions are being considered including specific initiatives to promote the border counties to potential GB visitors.

Market diversification is an important part of the response to Brexit. In this context, the strong performance of the North American and European markets is reassuring. This is particularly the case when one considers that visitors from these markets tend to stay longer and deliver higher average revenue.