Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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42. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans for international tourism for 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10505/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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As the Deputy is aware, the tourism sector has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic so I was pleased to secure a record level of funding for tourism in Budget 2022 of €288.5 million in total, an increase of €67.5 million over the 2021 allocation. The allocation includes €50 million for business continuity supports and a €35 million increase to the Tourism Marketing Fund to support the delivery of a marketing strategy to help restore inbound tourism to Ireland.

As part of its marketing strategy, Tourism Ireland has established a recovery framework which will be underpinned by an extensive programme of promotional activity throughout 2022. The organisation has a flexible, three-phase plan to RESTART, REBUILD and ultimately REDESIGN demand. Over €80 million will be invested in the programme in 2022, which will allow Tourism Ireland to ramp up its campaigns in key international markets.

Tourism Ireland’s Green Button campaign will continue to drive demand throughout 2022, with its largest-ever TV campaign running in our top four markets, namely Great Britain, the United States, Germany and France. This campaign will also be expanded in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Nordic countries, Switzerland, Austria, Canada and the UAE.

St Patrick’s Day offers a unique opportunity for the island of Ireland around the world and once again this year, hundreds of iconic landmarks and buildings around the world will take part in Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative. This year’s programme will include a new campaign, The Green Button Festival. The campaign will align with Tourism Ireland’s Green Button advertising campaign and will run in 14 markets. It will include turning high impact outdoor advertising sites into stages highlighting Irish culture.

Tourism Ireland will continue to work with airlines and ferry companies through a programme of jointly funded marketing initiatives to support the restoration of air and sea access routes which are so vital for tourism’s return to growth.

Tourism Ireland will also leverage the tourism opportunities presented by a number of key events and global opportunities. These include:

- Expo 2020 in Dubai, which runs until the end of March 2022

- The new Game of Thrones Studio Tour at Linen Mills Studio in Banbridge

- The Aer Lingus College Football Classic, which takes place in Dublin in August

- Ulysses 100 (2022 marks 100 years since the publication of James Joyce’s celebrated Ulysses)

2022 will also see an increasing focus on initiatives designed to encourage sustainable tourism, while still delivering on Tourism Ireland’s RESTART objectives.