asked the Minister for Communications the steps he proposes to take to stimulate growth in the tourist industry so that its full potential may be realised.
Written Answers. - Tourism Growth.
35.
The Government's proposals to stimulate growth in the tourist industry were set out in our pre-election document — Putting Growth Back Into Tourism. This document is indicative of the Government's commitment to realising the enormous potential of the industry and details our strategy to this end.
Central to this strategy will be a more co-ordinated and effective approach to promotional expenditure and exploitation of the recent favourable developments in the cost of air and sea access to Ireland. A more forceful marketing stance will be adopted in those markets offering the best potential for development with emphasis on the targeting of specialist groups in particular areas of activity such as angling and golfing and also conference-related business.
We also recognise the urgent need for investment in the further development of tourist products, particularly those activity holidays which I have mentioned, and one of the proposals in our document under active consideration is the extension of the business expansion scheme to export tourism.
The establishment of the Department of Tourism and Transport, bringing together responsibility for our access transport arrangements and for the development of the tourist industry, is designed to provide a new impetus to tourism growth. In formulating plans to stimulate such growth I will have the benefit of the study of the effectiveness of all directly tourism-related public expenditure commissioned from a firm of international consultants, whose report I expect to receive by mid-May.