The Deputy will appreciate that tourism policy is primarily the responsibility of my colleague, Mr. Leo Varadkar, TD, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport.
Of course, my Department and the institutions which it funds continue to work closely with the tourism agencies, at home and abroad, to promote cultural tourism. In that context, there are a number of stand-out initiatives and a whole host of ongoing events of note, especially Culture Night. In 2012, Culture Night took place on September 21st in a record 30 towns and cities throughout the island of Ireland, showcasing the best of our artistic and cultural heritage and facilities. It is estimated that upwards of 200,000 participated in the event in 2012, with over 150 cultural venues in Dublin alone welcoming visitors until late in the evening.
Arising from discussions at the Dublin Castle Global Irish Economic Forum on the most appropriate way to increase the impact and popularity of Culture Night and beyond, it is proposed to designate St Patrick's Day as the International Day of Irish Culture, thereby building on solid foundations already in place. Discussions are ongoing with all relevant stakeholders as to the exact format and scope of such an event, which will depend also on the amount of funding that is available. I also propose to deepen the engagement with Music Day, held this year on 21 June, and create a further cultural pivot point at a key moment during the year. In that way, there will be three main national cultural focus points throughout the year - St Patrick’s Day in Spring, Music Day at Midsummer and Culture Night in the Autumn.
The National Cultural Institutions and other cultural venues supported by my Department play a very significant role in Ireland's cultural tourism product. In 2011, there were over 3.6 million visitors to such institutions and venues. At the moment, they and the Arts Council are being activated to support both The Gathering and our upcoming EU Presidency Cultural programme. Indeed, the National Museum alone surpassed 1 million visitors for the year last week.
While the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, and the agencies under its remit, have primary responsibility for the promotion of Ireland generally as an attractive visitor location, heritage sites, including national parks and national monuments, feature strongly in much of this promotion. In addition, my Department through, for example, the provision of important heritage inventories, the funding for the conservation and presentation of the built heritage and through support for the Heritage Council, assists in promoting greater appreciation and understanding of Ireland’s heritage as a valuable amenity for residents and visitors alike. My Department is also directly involved in developing heritage initiatives with Fáilte Ireland, the Heritage Council and other organisations. I am confident that these and other initiatives will contribute to the quality of the national heritage tourism product, economic recovery and job creation.
Cultural and heritage tourism is one of the most important elements of Ireland’s tourism product and heritage properties, including those in State care, are an important element of that attraction. My Department is, therefore, focusing on working creatively across Government and with partner bodies, such as the Heritage Council, the Irish Heritage Trust, Fáilte Ireland, the LEADER Programme and other heritage interests, in seeking to ensure that resources are directed towards the heritage sector.
The Heritage Council, which is funded by my Department, recently commissioned the report Economic Value of Ireland’s Historic Environment. This report, published in May 2012, provides comprehensive evidence-based data that supports and enhances our innate understanding of the importance of our built heritage. The Report establishes that heritage conservation and tourism has very significant economic value and that Ireland’s historic environment supports over 35,000 jobs and contributes in the order of €1.5 billion to the national economy. It values the economic impact of Ireland’s historic environment/built heritage on the tourism sector through visitor expenditure at €700 million Gross Value Added (GVA). The report indicates that capital investment in built heritage conservation provides significant employment in the construction industry and is of major benefit to the national economy.
My Department is also currently engaged in developing a specific heritage-led Historic Towns Initiative in collaboration with Fáilte Ireland and the Heritage Council. My primary objective with this initiative is to ensure that the participating towns have access to and an understanding of appropriate guidance to assist them in best conserving their heritage assets and, in so doing, underpin the sustainability of their community and local economy. It is my hope that meeting these goals will also, by extension, significantly enhance the visitor experience in these towns, thus helping to maximise the potential positive contribution of tourism to each of these towns and their respective hinterlands. It is intended that the initiative will be piloted in three towns in Ireland in 2013.
The arts and culture sectors continue to offer vital opportunities for the provision of important cultural, social and employment benefits to communities throughout the country. The nature of employment within the arts sector encompasses a very wide range of activities. The Government appreciates and values the contribution the arts sector makes to the internationally renowned artistic reputation of this country. Within the current economic constraints, investment in the arts, culture and creative sectors is more important than ever, having regard to the employment intensity of the sector.
