Liam Burke
Question:25 Mr. L. Burke asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if he will provide a minimum annual investment of £20 million in consumer marketing of Irish tourism overseas. [15461/99]
Written Answers. - Tourism Promotion.
Jim O'Keeffe
Question:40 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation if the proposal to introduce a tax on tourists has been dropped. [14954/99]
Michael D. Higgins
Question:46 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation his response to the call from the Irish Hotels Federation to contribute an extra £8 million to tourism promotion to replace EU funding which expires at the end of 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15486/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 25, 40 and 46 together.
I have, on many occasions, highlighted the critical importance of overseas tourism marketing to our continued competitiveness as a tourism destination. With the assistance of EU Structural Funds, successive Governments, in partnership with industry and the appropriate State agencies, have overseen an investment of over one billion pounds in tourism marketing, training and product development over the past decade. This investment, aided by other factors such as the liberalisation of access transport and the general competitiveness of our economy, has contributed to a doubling in overseas visitor numbers to 5.7 million last year and a trebling of foreign exchange earnings to £2.3 billion.
While I am fully committed to putting an adequate tourism marketing fund in place for the new millennium, I cannot, for very practical reasons, be specific at this time as to the level of funding that will be available. Final decisions in relation to departmental Estimates of expenditure for the year 2000 will not, as is usual, be taken until the autumn.
Work in relation to the preparation of the national development plan is being advanced and while I and my Department are seeking a continuation of EU funding for international tourism marketing activities, a final decision on this bid will not be known for some time.
I have answered questions on a number of occasions in relation to the suggested introduction of a modest visitor levy in line with practice in many other countries. This, as I have stated previously, is but one proposal put forward for the future financing of tourism marketing programmes and is without prejudice to possible future EU support. I expect that a final decision in relation to this proposal will be taken in the context of future deliberations with my Government colleagues on tourism marketing funding arrangements generally.
The Deputies will also be aware that it is proposed that an all-island tourism marketing company will be established under the proposed new North-South political structures. Developments in this area, which will depend on further political progress in relation to the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, will also have to be considered in the context of future funding arrangements.