Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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57. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the work that is being undertaken by her Department to promote the Boyne Valley as a tourism destination; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22658/23]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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As the Deputy is aware, the Ancient Destination Experience Development Plan (DEDP), a five-year destination development plan primarily focused on the area known as the Boyne Valley extending across counties Meath and South Louth, was launched in May 2021.

My Department's role in relation to tourism lies primarily in the area of national tourism policy. The responsibility for implementation of that policy lies with the tourism agencies, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland.

Fáilte Ireland's role as the National Tourism Development Authority is to support the long-term sustainable growth in the economic, social, cultural and environmental contribution of tourism to Ireland and this includes responsibility for domestic holiday marketing across the four regional experience brands: Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East, Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands and Dublin.

Tourism Ireland promotes the island of Ireland in more than 21 markets overseas as a compelling holiday destination, using the Ireland brand to position the island as strongly as possible against the more than 200 other destinations with which Ireland competes.

As the matter raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for the tourism agencies, I have referred the matter to Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland to supply further details on the activities they are carrying out to promote the Boyne Valley as a tourism destination. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.