Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
552. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if her attention has been drawn to the difficulties experienced by the tourism sector in rural Ireland due to the rate of inflation and rising cost of living; what measures her Department is taking to assist the tourism sector in rural Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37114/23]
View answerBusinesses continue to face significant cost pressures due to inflation and other economic factors. Rising costs however are not unique to the tourism industry and are a challenge for the wider economy. The Government has introduced a number of measures to assist tourism businesses including those in rural Ireland.
In relation to energy costs, the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme supports qualifying businesses with increases in electricity or natural gas costs. Amendments to help more businesses to qualify and to increase the level of support were announced in February. Recently Government approval was given for the development of a separate scheme to also assist businesses that use kerosene for heating.
Wage costs for businesses continue to increase as hourly rates of pay improve and compensation for working unsocial hours has become more common. My Department and Fáilte Ireland are working with industry and across Government to ensure a co-ordinated approach to addressing labour and skills challenges.
The EU Just Transition Fund is a fund created under the 2021-2027 programming round. Ireland will receive up to €84.5 million from the EU Just Transition Fund over the period to 2027. With the Government of Ireland’s match funding using Exchequer resources, up to €169 million will be available. €68 million of this has been allocated to Fáilte Ireland to develop regenerative tourism projects in the Midlands region.
Regional development and the promotion of areas all over the country as great places to visit are at the heart of Fáilte Ireland’s remit. To guide medium to longer term development, Fáilte Ireland recently delivered four new Regional Tourism Strategies that outline a vision for tourism which contains a 5 year strategic framework for the sustainable development of Fáilte Ireland's regional brands. At the more local level, these four Regional Tourism Strategies will be activated through a series of coordinated local Destination and Experience Development Plans (DEDPs), developed by Fáilte Ireland in collaboration with local stakeholders.
A collective and concerted multi-stakeholder approach to tackling the challenges including rising costs is required and that is the approach that my Department and the Government will continue to pursue. The Hospitality and Tourism Forum, which is co-chaired by Minister Coveney and myself, provides a platform for structured engagement between the tourism and hospitality sectors and the relevant Government Departments where key issues can be discussed with a view to identifying practical solutions. The Forum met most recently on 28 June and that engagement will continue.
