I propose to take Questions Nos. 157 and 270 together.
Great Britain remains a key market for Irish tourism and is of critical importance to all regions of Ireland and all sectors of the industry. This is expected to remain the position in the years ahead. Tourism Ireland is targeting further growth in various sectors of the British market, which should help to further the spread of tourism business throughout the country. Ireland's performance in this market has been impressive. Last year Ireland welcomed over 3.5 million visitors from Great Britain to our shores and these visitors spent almost €1.3 billion here.
With regard to our performance in the North American market, Ireland achieved an impressive growth rate of 6.5%, last year. During a very turbulent period for tourism internationally, Ireland has managed to out-perform many of its competitors in the US, due in large part to the concerted and co-ordinated efforts of Tourism Ireland and the tourism industry there. Access developments have also been a key driver of this strong performance. While there remains scope for further growth, 2003 marked a turning point in this market which Tourism Ireland and the industry are set to build on in 2004.
In regard to the European market, Ireland continues to perform very well. In recognising the potential for growth in visitor numbers, Europe has been targeted for continued growth. In that context, Tourism Ireland has reviewed and continues to review its operations in the key continental European countries in which it operates. Already we are seeing the benefits of this review, especially from Germany, where the recent sluggish outbound market has been turned around by a concentrated consumer focused campaign there by Tourism Ireland.
Southern Europe, including France, Spain and Italy, also performed exceptionally well in 2003. What is also encouraging is that our prospects of further above average growth from Europe are good because of new access developments and Tourism Ireland will continue to encourage and support the further development of such routes.
Long haul markets have also been targeted by an intensive level of marketing activity by Tourism Ireland. Like many other European destinations, these markets were seriously affected by the recent external shocks to international travel. This was particularly evident in the dramatic reduction in air access capacity to Europe from Australia, which is the most important long haul market for Ireland. Early indications in 2004 indicate a resurgence in demand for travel to Europe with Ireland again out-performing the competition.
Looking ahead, the marketing programmes in train for 2004 will build on the momentum generated in 2003. With a comprehensive and highly targeted suite of marketing activities, Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland are confident that they can meet the very ambitious target of 4% growth in visitor numbers.
