Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 June 2022
17. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the status of a successor to the Tourism Action Plan 2019-2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32485/22]
View answerFollowing the publication in 2015 of the policy statement, "People, Place and Policy, Growing Tourism to 2025", the then-Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport established a Tourism Leadership Group (TLG). The TLG was tasked with overseeing the formulation of an Action Plan to implement the policy goals set out in this document. Once formed, the TLG developed two action plans over the period 2016-2021 to deliver the objectives in the policy statement.
In 2020, during the timeframe of the second Tourism Action Plan (2019-2021), the tourism landscape changed drastically. COVID-19 had a devastating impact on our tourism industry.
During this time, the Government provided supports for the sectors worst affected by the crisis, including tourism. A Tourism Recovery Taskforce was established in May 2020 and delivered a Tourism Recovery Plan with recommendations on how best the Irish tourism sector could adapt and recover in the changed tourism environment. Later that year, I appointed a Recovery Oversight Group to oversee the implementation of this plan. The Recovery Oversight Group is continuing its work and will continue to report with updates on implementation of the recovery plan and recovery in the sector more generally.
In 2019, a Sustainable Tourism Working Group under the aegis of my Department set out an ambition for sustainable tourism in Ireland as well as a number of guiding principles for sustainable tourism development. Late last year I brought a report to Government, developed by this Group, which identifies a suite of actions that will promote sustainable tourism practices out to 2023.
My Department has initiated the development of a new national tourism policy that will seek to mainstream sustainability. Officials in the Department are currently preparing to undertake an initial consultation with key stakeholders. Following the completion of this initial informal consultation and a review of the previous policy (People Place and Policy 2025), a formal public consultation will take place with a view to publishing a new Sustainable Tourism Policy in 2023.
This policy commitment will seek to deliver on Ireland’s ambition to be among the world-leaders in sustainable tourism practices, from not only an environmental but also a social and economic perspective.
