Joe McHugh
Question:96 Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on his efforts to generate spin-off tourism from the London 2012 Olympic Games. [32049/12]
View answerTuesday, 3 July 2012
Questions (92, 93, 94)
Micheál Martin
Question:103 Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has been invited to attend the Olympic Games in London; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26511/12]
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 96 and 103 together.
Myself and Minister Varadkar have been invited to attend the Olympic Games in London and I look forward to supporting our athletes and promoting Ireland as a destination to visit. We will attend some events on different, non-overlapping days and only one Minister from the Department will be present at any stage.
Tourism Ireland, which has responsibility for the overseas promotion of Ireland as a tourist destination, has been rolling out a busy programme of activity to target a wide range of potential visitors around the world in the run-up to and during the 2012 Games. This includes working with the official Olympics tour operators in a number of markets to offer package extensions for their clients attending the Games. A series of itineraries for the thousands of accredited and non-accredited media has also been developed, encouraging them to come here either before, during or after the Games.
Furthermore the Games provide a significant opportunity in terms of targeting Londoners who may wish to escape the congestion and disruption in the city. With this in mind, Tourism Ireland has launched a significant advertising push targeting Londoners by presenting Ireland as the ideal destination to escape to for the duration of the Olympics. Social media including Facebook and Twitter is also being used to create an awareness of the key sporting events and festivals taking place across Ireland this Summer.
Of course, on the sporting side many countries used Irish facilities to train in the lead up to the Games themselves. In particular, several countries availed of facilities at the National Aquatic Centre while other events prior to the Games themselves in sports such as hockey, sailing and athletics attracted competitors from overseas to Ireland.
John Halligan
Question:97 Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will work with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, in the interests of promoting tourism, to ensure that the jetty and safety railing on Dalkey Island are repaired and made safe to allow visitors to the island this summer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32102/12]
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The Deputy's question relates to the provision of tourist capital funding to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council in respect of the jetty and safety railings on Dalkey Island. The issue raised by the Deputy, in relation to the repair of the jetty on Dalkey Island, is the responsibility of the relevant local authority. As mentioned in my response to Parliamentary Question 88 earlier, if a local authority identifies a project which has the potential to increase visitor numbers and which they believe would be eligible for tourism capital funding, they should engage directly with Fáilte Ireland, who have responsibility for the operation of the Tourism Capital Investment Programme. I understand that no application has been made by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council in relation to this facility. The Deputy should engage with the local authority directly on this matter in the first instance.