Vol. 477 No. 4
2 Mr. Andrews asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade his views on whether the structures which are currently in place for the development of Ireland's tourism industry need to be re-evaluated to make them more compatible with the needs of a modern tourism industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9442/97]
I am not clear as to which structures the Deputy is referring in his question. The Department of Tourism and Trade, which has the lead responsibility for the formulation of national policy on tourism, has been in place since the beginning of 1993. In reply to previous questions from the Deputy, I have indicated that combining the tourism portfolio with trade has resulted in a single Government Department being able to focus specifically and successfully on the optimisation of Ireland's foreign earnings.
As the Deputy is aware, Bord Fáilte was the subject of a comprehensive review by international consultants in 1994 and, arising from that review, the focus and structure of the organisation has been radically altered with a renewed emphasis on the international marketing of Irish tourism, leading to such recent initiatives as the launch of the new Tourism Brand Ireland project.
Furthermore, the Tourism Council continues to act as an effective national forum for consultations between the industry, the tourism agencies, namely, Bord Fáilte, CERT and Shannon Development and my Department, and for the provision of advice to me on tourism matters. The council facilitates direct dialogue between all the key players in tourism on identifying the needs of modern Irish tourism and how best to address them.
Similarly, the Overseas Tourism Marketing Initiative — OTMI — which was launched in 1995, remains a vibrant partnership involving Bord Fáilte, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and the tourism industry, North and South, and has overseen significant new marketing initiatives in our four main markets of Britain, France, Germany and the US. A unique characteristic of this strengthening partnership is the joint funding of the OTMI's activities based on sectoral and Exchequer contributions, topped up by EU funds under the Operational Programme for Tourism. It represents an excellent model for future development.
I should also mention the detailed review of the co-ordination of regional tourism undertaken in 1993 which led, in agreement with the regional tourism organisations, to the establishment of more appropriate institutional structures for Irish tourism at regional and county level. A new structure based on county divisions was established and new slimmed-down boards of management at regional level were also set up. My understanding is that the new arrangements are functioning as well as intended.
Within the operational programme itself, some innovative arrangements were introduced to give effect to the new partnership between State and the tourism sector in promoting future growth. The sector is, for example, represented for the first time on new management boards assigned significant decision-making responsibilities in respect of marketing and product spend. These are functioning well. Furthermore, the sector is represented on the steering committee for the programme and on the overall National Monitoring Committee whose role is to oversee the management of the programme in terms of the principal objectives set under it for the development of the sector up to the end of the century. In this regard I should not let the opportunity pass without saying that progress in achieving core targets has been excellent to date and the industry is well on track to reach foreign exchange earnings of £2.25 billion and total employment of 120,000 by 1999.
Currently the programme is the subject of a mid-term evaluation following which certain refinements and adjustments may be made. Planning for possible scenarios post-1999 has already commenced which will take into account the views and needs of the industry and the overriding objective of developing a strong sustainable tourism sector contributing to increased foreign earnings and employment creation. In the course of this exercise, the adequacy and suitability of existing structures for future tourism development will be looked at, but it is clearly too early for definite views to have emerged at this stage. Whatever about the future, it is indisputable that the policies and structures currently in place have helped to contribute to the achievement of excellent results in recent years, with average annual foreign exchange earnings from tourism increasing by more than 11 per cent in each of the last three years, a performance which is at the top end of the European league.
