Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 June 2021
66. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media her plans for the sustainable recovery of the tourism sector from Covid-19; the status of her plans to tackle issues of climate action and sustainable development with the tourism recovery plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33243/21]
View answerThe Minister and Minister of State's Department covers some sectors most grievously hit by the effects of this pandemic, including sport, cultural output and tourism. What are the plans for a sustainable recovery of the tourism sector from Covid-19 and the status of plans to tackle issues of climate action and sustainable development in the long term in our tourism recovery plan?
The tourism sector has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the necessary public health restrictions introduced to control it. Since my appointment as Minister, I have been fully engaged with stakeholders in seeking to identify and implement supports to ensure the sector’s survival and sustainable recovery. Until now, the focus has been on the survival phase.
The Tourism Recovery Plan 2020-2023, submitted by the tourism recovery task force last year, continues to be an important consideration for me, as well as my colleagues in the Government, as we continue to evaluate additional measures to support the recovery of the sector. It has informed many of the measures introduced to date which support the tourism sector. The sector-specific measures I have introduced, together with the horizontal supports available, have been critical for helping tourism businesses and employees through the pandemic.
There are recommendations aimed at the stabilisation and recovery phase in the recovery plan, with an emphasis on sustainability. These include the development of a suite of actions to promote the sustainable development of tourism and that these actions in turn will underpin the development of a sustainable tourism policy to be adopted by Government.
A sustainable tourism working group set up under the aegis of my Department published guiding principles for sustainable tourism development at the end of 2019. An ambition in it states, "Ireland will seek to be amongst the world-leaders in sustainable tourism practices". Earlier this year, in order to maintain momentum on the sustainable tourism agenda, I reconvened this working group to complete the development of a set of actions that promote sustainable tourism practices which can be implemented prior to a new national tourism policy being developed. I expect to receive the group's final report shortly. It will outline the steps that can be taken to promote sustainable tourism practices in the short term. Following this, I will instruct my officials to initiate the development of a new national tourism policy later in the year. This policy will mainstream sustainability, rather than having it as an additional consideration. I want the recovery in the tourism sector over the coming years to be sustainable in environmental, social and economic terms.
What does "sustainable tourism practices" mean if we are talking about a suite of actions? Surely we want to focus on longer stays rather than getting people in and out of the country quickly? Surely we want to look at more dispersed tourism rather than all the pressure and bed nights being in Dublin? I will naturally refer to Waterford but also to the rest of the country, so that tourism spending is more dispersed. People will increasingly focus on experience rather than consumption. Will we focus on cultural output, heritage and those intangibles, which is what we do well in this country, rather than on just consumption? The pandemic has taught us many things, including perhaps that tourists need to slow down to enjoy their stays rather than to get quickly in and out.
I encourage every Member of this House to slow down and enjoy the wonderful sights across our country, to promote staycations and to support a sector that has been ravaged due to the pandemic. Sustainable development in tourism means using, without exploitation, our cultural and other tourist resources, to preserve them for future use by future generations. This means that tourism can be a positive, as the Deputy would understand, for local communities, as well as being economically sustainable. It means longer stays and tapping into all the resources in a community during those stays. We must seek to realise Ireland's ambition to be among world leaders in sustainable tourism practices. We are well placed to be a world leader. Development of the new policy I mentioned earlier will set out the path for the coming years, which will support sustainable recovery and the subsequent regrowth. The Deputy mentioned Waterford. It has been a leader in sustainable tourism activities, especially the greenway from Dungarvan to Waterford city, which has been an exemplar for other cycle routes across the country. It is a testament to the determination and co-operation locally.
We would be delighted to have the Minister in Waterford and I would be delighted to show her the sites. I see the Minister of State with responsibility for heritage waiting in the wings. There is a real role in heritage-led development, not only of our towns and villages, but also of our tourism product. Waterford is an outstanding example of that. The Minister of State with responsibility for heritage opened the Museum of Time in Waterford for us last week. Our Museum of Silver will be opened by the Minister for Finance on Thursday. The Minister referred to the greenway, St. Declan's Way, going farther west.
It will link all the way to Cashel and will provide an outstanding tourist experience. We need to focus on that and away from the consumption model where people come quickly into and out of our cities and perhaps do not spend a great deal or experience the culture in the way that we might like them to. We need to ensure we have a regional approach to this and not just concentrate on bed nights in Dublin which before the pandemic was reaching capacity. We need to spread that spend across the country.
Sustainable low-impact activities, such as that Waterford greenway, provide a high return and show the potential to bring economic activity to local communities such as Kilmacthomas. A week ago, the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021 got amazing support in this House. It will establish a legally binding framework for clear targets and commitments set out in law to ensure we achieve our national, EU and international climate goals and obligations in the near and long term. Every sector needs to play its part.
I am confident that our tourism sector will be a strong participant in achieving these legally binding targets. Ireland's commitment to pursue a climate-neutral economy will help us to realise the ambition that we spoke about earlier to become a world leader in sustainable tourism practices. These objectives are consistent with the EU climate ambition and the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Ireland has a reputation for being the Emerald Isle internationally. Sustaining and nurturing this real green image through the adoption of sustainable tourism practices is an important underpinning for the recovery and future tourism growth.
