Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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735.To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to provide an update on the tourism brand collaboration project; to provide the total allocation; the expenditure to date; the amount that is contained with expenditure ceilings laid out in the stability programme update and summer economic statement and the amount that will have to come from additional funding; the date the project was started; and the projected date of completion, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[34827/24]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Under the Shared Island Fund, an allocation of €7.6 million was granted to my Department for a new all-island tourism brand collaboration and marketing initiative in the North West region. The vision of the project is to connect the Causeway Coastal Route and the Wild Atlantic Way in such a way that the visitor is motivated to stay longer and spend more, thereby bringing greater economic benefit to the region.

This allocation is within the expenditure ceilings laid out in the Stability Programme Update 2024 and the Summer Economic Statement. As the Deputy is aware, the revised National Development Plan states that Government will allocate ring-fenced, multi-annual resourcing for all-island investment out to 2030, including through the Shared Island Fund.

A project team, including representatives from my Department, Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland, was established in 2023 to develop and oversee the implementation of this project out to 2025. Expenditure on the project in 2023 was €102,500 with the remainder of the budget allocated between this year and next year.

The project consists of the following elements:

• Cross-border Regional Destination Development (includes brand collaboration and overseas promotion, and development of the visitor experience);
• Discovery Point Development to include improved signage and orientation;
• Development of cross-promotional content; and
• Creation of common industry supports.

I look forward to the delivery of this project and the opportunity to explore other North South tourism initiatives that can further enhance North South cooperation and our all-island tourism offering.