Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

17. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the immediate steps he plans to take to address the crisis within the tourism and hospitality industry (details supplied); the immediate steps he will take to relieve pressure in the interim; the steps he will take to address the ongoing Government policy to use hotels and tourist accommodation for IPAS applicants bringing further pressure on other tourism and hospitality businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9658/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy will appreciate that responsibility for tourism matters will be transferring to my colleague Minister Peter Burke once the transfer of functions in finalised in the coming weeks.

However, I can say, as set out in the Programme for Government that this Government is committed to growing Ireland's tourism industry. Through support for Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland, we want to showcase Ireland as a high-quality and accessible destination for both national and international visitors.

In relation to the general hospitality sector this is ultimately, an important component of the wider enterprise economy. The Programme for Government is focused on supporting SMEs and I know that my colleague, Peter Burke TD, who will have responsibility for both enterprise and tourism matters, is committed to reflecting that approach in his dealings with all parts of brief, including tourism.

In relation to tourism policy more generally, work is underway to examine how the Tourism Policy Framework 2025 -2030 as published last November aligns with the commitments in the new Programme for Government. Once this work is complete, Minister Burke will set out the next steps to ensure that business and communities across Ireland benefit from the future growth of the tourism industry.

Our tourism agencies have an ongoing commitment to supporting the sustainable growth of the sector and Fáilte Ireland has recently outlined its plans for 2025. These include a Business Capability Development Supports Programme which will include commercial resilience. Tourism Ireland will invest over €65 million in 2025 in an extensive and targeted programme of activity across over 13 overseas source markets.

The recent humanitarian crisis had a pronounced impact on the availability of tourism accommodation in Ireland; at its height, 13% of all Fáilte Ireland-registered stock was taken out of the market, by the State, to provide humanitarian accommodation. Changes in government policy, plus a steady increase in new tourism bed-stock coming into the sector, have significantly improved the position. The most recent analysis by Fáilte Ireland, based on November 2024 data, shows that the displacement rate for Fáilte Ireland registered accommodation is now 7% nationally. The position will be reviewed further in Q2 2025 and the expectation is that the position will have improved further in advance of the peak summer tourist season this year.