Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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307. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which she and her Department propose to support and promote the tourism sector at home and abroad in the current year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23974/23]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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In Budget 2023 I secured additional funding of €15 million for overseas marketing of Ireland after 2022’s once-off pump-priming investment of €35 million.??

The additional funding secured this year for overseas marketing allows Tourism Ireland to focus on delivering long-term sustainable demand through its new global campaign – Fill your heart with Ireland. This strategic promotional campaign will raise the awareness of our tourism offering overseas and create a desire to travel from our top markets.

Budget 2023 also saw a €2 million increase in funding for domestic marketing, to promote Ireland’s tourism offering to Irish holidaymakers. This will allow Fáilte Ireland to continue to build momentum on a mass reach media marketing campaign – Keep Discovering. The campaign is centered on reminding people that a short break is a great option for them to do so with friends and family, and to bring to life the different destinations across the country.

I also secured additional funding to support a range of measures including domestic marketing, transforming the digital capabilities of tourism businesses, boosting the industry’s recruitment and retention efforts and sustainable tourism initiatives.

Finally, I also secured in Budget 2023 €36.5 million in capital funding for tourism product development for the continued delivery of enhanced visitor experiences.

Fáilte Ireland’s plans for 2023 are built around driving sustainable recovery at the level of individual businesses; supporting employers and employees in making tourism an attractive long-term career; accelerating growth in domestic tourism; enhancing our outdoor tourism product and the quality of visitor experiences in destinations; and building the digitalisation of the industry and driving climate action.