Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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37. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the initiatives he is taking to support tourism and hospitality in County Louth and the northeast; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33044/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The Government remains committed to supporting the tourism and hospitality sector in County Louth and the wider northeast region, recognising its vital role in local employment and economic development.

Louth is included in Ireland’s Ancient East Regional Tourism Development Strategy 2023 – 2027. Regional Tourism Development Strategies are being activated across every region through a series of local area action plans, referred to as Destination and Experience Development Plans (DEDPs).

The ‘Ancient’ Destination Experience Development Plan (DEDP), which was launched in May 2021, is a five-year plan designed to be a roadmap for enhancing the existing visitor proposition to achieve the objectives of addressing seasonality, increasing visitor numbers, improving dwell time and visitor dispersion in the Boyne Valley & surrounding areas of both Meath & Louth. Since the launch of the Ancient DEDP in May 2021, 26 projects have been completed, while a further 41 are in progress across its 4 strategic pillars. Key achievements to date include the completion of a plan to re-imagine the Boyne Valley Drive; the development of an outdoor Destination Orientation Development Plan for Carlingford & the Cooley Peninsula, and the continued growth of the world class ‘Púca’ festival in Meath. Fáilte Ireland is also presently conducting a mid-term review of the Ancient DEDP to ensure it is updated to reflect present day challenges.

In May, I announced the recipients of funding under Fáilte Ireland’s new Home of Halloween Pilot Destination Development Scheme. A total of €1.5 million will be invested over the next three years (2025–2028) which aims to establish Ireland as the authentic global home of Halloween. Each successful destination, which included a joint proposal by Meath County Council and Louth County Council, will receive up to €100,000 annually to develop Halloween-themed festivals that celebrate Ireland’s heritage and attract visitors during the off-peak season. Marketing efforts under the Keep Discovering campaign and international media visits arranged by Fáilte Ireland, have also further elevated Louth’s profile with events such as the Festival of Lú drawing over 50,000 visitors in 2024.

The Carlingford Lough area is one of three destinations that will feature as part of up to €23million in Government funding, under the Shared Island Fund. Delivered in partnership with Louth County Council and Newry, Mourne & Down District Council, this project will deliver a network of trailheads, trails and water access points across the wider Carlingford Lough region; destination gateways /arrival infrastructure, creating an industry capacity building opportunity to support industry in the development and utilisation of the ‘outdoors’. The project will increase connectivity between existing trails and tourism assets across the region. This will be complemented by the delivery of a Destination Experience Strategy to promote the region as a leading outdoor tourism destination.

As part of its ongoing commitment to industry growth, Fáilte Ireland is aligning business supports under four strategic pillars Climate Action, Commercial Resilience, People and Performance, and Digitisation. Louth’s tourism sector is supported by Fáilte Ireland’s Employer Excellence Programme, Champions Programme, and Climate Action Programme. I would also like to highlight the support offered by the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), based within Local Authorities, which are a first stop shop for local businesses in Ireland. In the first instance LEOs provide a signposting service for all government supports available to all small businesses regardless of the sector. I would recommend that any small business owner contact their Local Enterprise Office and ask to speak to a Business Advisor about the supports available to them. I also encourage any business owners looking to avail of government support to consult the National Enterprise Hub (NEH). The NEH is an all-of-government free service, staffed by expertly trained advisors and is focused on helping business owners access a range of government supports.