Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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131. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will report on his proposals to cultivate cross-Border tourism. [22858/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will appreciate that tourism is now the policy responsibility of my colleague, Peter Burke TD. Following the making of a Government Order on Tuesday statutory responsibility for the sector will transfer to Minister Burke from 1 June. Minister Burke has already had a number of engagements with key tourism stakeholders across a range of priority areas.

The Programme for Government features a number of commitments regarding growing Ireland's tourism industry. Through our support for Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland, we want to showcase the island as a high-quality and accessible destination for both national and international visitors.

Tourism Ireland is responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination, and works closely with colleagues in Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland.

In addition to a commitment to work with Fáilte Ireland to develop a balanced regional spread of tourism throughout the country, further advancing the experience brands of Hidden Heartlands, Ireland’s Ancient East and the Wild Atlantic Way, the Programme for Government also includes a commitment to support Tourism Ireland to further integrate tourism offerings on an all-island basis.

The Government is also committed to completing construction of the Narrow Water Bridge and to supporting the local authorities on both sides of the Bridge in developing the new tourism opportunities it will bring and to collaborating with partners north and south of the border to expand blueways, enhancing water-based tourism and recreational opportunities.

Enhancing cross-border cooperation and connections is a key ambition of this Government and tourism is an important asset towards achieving this goal.

At the North South Ministerial Council Tourism Sectoral in June 2024, Ministers signed a Joint Ministerial Statement supporting Sustainable Tourism and agreed to the establishment of a Joint Strategic Coordination Group for the sustainable growth of the tourism sector across both jurisdictions.

The All Island Strategic Tourism Group, which is co-chaired by officials in my Department and the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy, with representatives from the three tourism agencies, provides a strategic approach, aligned to policy priorities, to the development and implementation of all-island initiatives. The aim of this group is aligned with the measure in the Programme for Government to ‘Support Tourism Ireland to further integrate tourism offerings on an all-island basis’.

Tourism is also a central pillar of the Shared Island initiative. The Brand Collaboration Project to connect the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route in the north west region will make significant progress this year. The latest phase of the Shared Island Initiative was announced in February this year, where the Taoiseach and Tánaiste announced funding of up to €23 million for a new Tourism Shared Destinations project in the border regions.