Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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140. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which she and her Department continue to engage with the tourism sector in order to ensure full recovery following Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47838/22]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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141. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which she has received submissions from all elements of the tourism sector in regard to facilitating full recovery post-Covid; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47839/22]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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142. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which her Department continues to monitor the tourism sector in order to identify trends, with particular reference to aspects of the industry that appear to still suffer from the effects of Covid-19 restrictions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47840/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 140 to 142, inclusive, together.

A key aim of my Department's Tourism Services Programme is to support the tourism industry to recover and grow in a sustainable way. I have secured a total of €214.762 million in Budget 2023 to support the tourism sector. 

Key highlights that will specifically assist the sector to rebuild to full recovery include an additional funding of €15 million for overseas marketing of Ireland as a tourism destination and the development of the The Invitation project.  

Domestically, a total of €15 million will fund a range of measures to support the sector including domestic marketing, transforming the digital capabilities of more than 800 visitor attractions and activities, boosting the industry’s recruitment and retention efforts, sustainable tourism initiatives, long-term investment in the US College Football Classic series, and establishment of a register of short-term letting properties as part of the Government’s “Housing for All” reforms.

The Hospitality and Tourism Forum, which is co-chaired by the Tánaiste and myself is the appropriate arena in which to discuss issues with the wider industry, and other key questions arising as the sector rebuilds. The most recent meeting was held on 12 September 2022 and the forum offers a very important opportunity to discuss and address the many issues facing the tourism sector.  The feedback from the industry stakeholders is a good barometer of the trends in the industry.

My officials have engaged with many stakeholders, including the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation and the Irish Hotels Federation, in order to further understand the underlying issues impacting the recovery of the tourism sector and to emphasise the importance of maintaining a strong value proposition at the core of tourism. 

The Recovery Oversight Group, responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Tourism Recovery Plan, submitted its fourth report to me in July 2022. The report notes that much headway has been made in implementing the recovery plan presented in September 2020.  I have used this report from the Recovery Oversight Group as an important policy consideration as I continue to work, alongside my Government colleagues, towards the recovery of the tourism sector.