Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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71. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extra supports being proposed to support the tourism industry here; the steps being taken to provide certainty to the tourism sector that foreign tourists will be able to travel here for vacations and conferences in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23123/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The July Stimulus Package introduced significant measures to help support businesses to recover following the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. Some of the key measures for tourism include the“Stay and Spend” initiative, the €26m adaptation grant, the €10m grant for coach tourism and the revised Restart grant which now includes B&B’s.  Tourism enterprises will also benefit from wider horizontal supports such as the new Employment Wage Support Scheme, liquidity and enterprise investment measures,  warehousing of tax liabilities and the extension for a further three months of the waiver of commercial rates.

The Tourism Recovery Taskforce is currently finalising its recommendations for the ongoing survival and stabilisation of the Tourism sector and I look forward to receiving their recommendations.

The Government is exploring options to enable international travel to recommence safely again.  While it not possible at this time to provide certainty that foreign tourists will be able to travel here in 2021, it is in the best interests of tourism and other sectors in the economy to find a way to safely resume international travel into Ireland as soon as possible.