I apologise to the House for the absence of the Minister, Deputy Kenny, who is in Europe presiding over an Internal Market Council meeting. I propose to take Questions Nos. 31 and 34 together.
The Minister has already indicated in replies to previous questions on this subject that the tourism brand concept was originally conceived by the Tourism Council established by his predecessor and developed subsequently under the direction of an industry steering group led by Bord Fáilte. The task was formally completed with the launch last week of the tourism brand Ireland when Bord Fáilte, working with the tourism industry partners throughout the island and overseas, also assumed responsibility for management of the brand and putting the necessary resources and effort behind its successful deployment.
The brand proposition, "An Emotional Experience, Live a Different Life" builds on our two key identified tourism assets, the accessible, unspoiled pastoral scenery and the interaction with friendly, engaging people. I understand from Bord Fáilte that the proposition has been derived from extensive professional consumer research carried out around the world. The development of a premium value brand is intended to make more discerning and high yield tourists want to visit Ireland, with the results being measured in terms of retained revenue, regional distribution, extension of the season and visitor loyalty.
The new tourism brand total marketing approach is designed to benefit the island as a whole and to help increase tourism revenue in all regions. The visual images and advertising material incorporate a broad regional spread. Bord Fáilte inform me that the communications will give priority to international consumer groups who are more likely to come in the off season and to use the less congested areas of the country, particularly at peak periods. Specific initiatives related to the brand for individual regions are matters for Bord Fáilte and the regional tourism authorities and the local trade.
As the Minister indicated previously, Bord Fáilte has managed the budget for developing this initiative, including monitoring costs and sourcing funding, as an integral part of its day-to-day marketing and promotional activities. The development cost, for which the board budgeted the sum of £3 million, includes the production of extensive television advertising for all the principal overseas markets, a still photographic bank, promotional and support communication material, the design of a new logo and associated fees. This up to date bank of visual imagery for Ireland can be used with confidence well into the next century. The new identity also involves the development of a consistent visual look which, over time, should be adopted on all published tourism promotional items. Bord Fáilte informs me that it is also currently in discussion with a number of commercial companies about the possibility of licensing them with use of the logo and the communications style in their print and other marketing activities.
A comprehensive programme for the use or roll out of the new brand is expected to go into place on a phased basis over the next year or so. The new television advertising will be progressively introduced into all key markets by spring next year. The final marketing budgets for 1997 and subsequent years have yet to be determined and the expectation is that the industry will row in fully behind the new brand. The main consumer advertising partnership or the OTMI, composed of representatives of Bord Fáilte, the Northern Ireland Tourism Board and the industry North and South, has already committed resources behind the deployment of the new brand. Bord Fáilte estimates that up to £60 million a year is spent on the broad definition of tourism marketing, funded by the Exchequer, the EU and industry sources. The objective will be to reorientate an increasing element of that diversified expenditure behind the brand, which is expected to shape the promotion and marketing of Irish tourism well into the next millennium.