Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 15 Nov 1995

Vol. 458 No. 3

Written Answers. - Presidential Visit.

Síle de Valera

Ceist:

57 Miss de Valera asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the efforts, if any, which are being put in place by his Department to take advantage of the tourism opportunity that will arise from the visit of the President of the United States of America. [16865/95]

David Andrews

Ceist:

88 Mr. Andrews asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the efforts, if any, that are being put in place by his Department to take advantage of the trade opportunities that will arise from the visit of the President of the United States of America. [17038/95]

Minister for Tourism and Trade (Mr. E. Kenny)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 57 and 88 together.

The forthcoming visit of President Clinton and the attendant worldwide media coverage will undoubtedly provide a great opportunity for highlighting Ireland as a desirable tourism destination and as a source of high-quality products and services.

The White House Trade and Investment Conference last May highlighted the possibilities for matching US companies with Irish partners through mechanisms such as joint ventures, technology transfers, franchising and licensing arrangements. A joint communique on tourism co-operation was also signed at the Washington Conference by the Minister for Tourism and Trade together with his Northern Ireland and US counterparts, which covered tourism promotion, the opportunities for increased US private sector investment in tourism development in Ireland and the possibilities for co-operation in training.

Since last May, my Department and the agencies, ABT and Bord Fáilte, together with their Northern Ireland and US counterparts have been working closely on the follow-up to the conference. It is hoped that there will be an opportunity during the course of the visit to review progress with Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and the other senior Administration figures and business people accompanying the President.

I have no doubt that the forthcoming visit of President Clinton will provide a major boost to the promotional efforts of An Bord Tráchtála and Bord Fáilte in the United States and, indeed, in other markets and that both agencies will be seeking to maximise the publicity opportunities.