Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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299. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of overseas visitors to Ireland for 2020; the projected number of overseas visitors to Ireland in the entirety of 2021 in the context of available data; the targeted number of visitors for 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62899/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The collection of official national tourism statistics is the responsibility of the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CSO has not been in a position to collect and publish such statistics, including data on overseas visitors to Ireland, since March 2020. Officials in my Department have been engaging with the CSO on this issue with a view to reinstating such data collection as soon as circumstances allow. Given the current uncertain nature of the international travel environment, as a result of the impact of the pandemic, it is not possible to provide a target for tourist visitor numbers in 2022 at this point with any degree of accuracy. I can assure the Deputy that I am continuing to work closely with the sector and with Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, to ensure a sustainable recovery for the sector in the context of the pandemic.