The various options for the future funding of tourism destination marketing were set out in detail in my Department's discussion paper, Strategy for Tourism in the context of EU Structural Funding 2000-2006. In that paper it was proposed that a tourism marketing fund would be established and it was suggested that this could be financed through a combination of financing from the EU, the industry and the State, with an enhanced level of partnership between the key players.
Since the preparation of this document last year, my Department has been engaged in a consultation process with the industry, through the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation which examined funding and institutional options in their planning document entitled Strategy for Growth beyond 2000.
I share the industry's objective of ensuring that a substantial marketing fund for Irish tourism will be in place for the new Millennium. Ireland's performance in a growing but hugely competitive international marketplace has been excellent over the past decade with ambitious targets for foreign earnings and for visitor numbers consistently being achieved.