Vol. 470 No. 3
11 Mr. Gallagher (Donegal South-West) asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the reason for the stagnation in tourism revenue from Italy in each of the years from 1994 to date, following record growth in the previous four years; and the action, if any, being taken to revive the market. [18734/96]
Tourism traffic to Ireland from Italy grew dramatically from the mid-1980s to the early-1990s, increasing sixfold over this period with a corresponding increase in revenue. The market peaked in 1994. However, in the past two years, the general weakness of the Italian economy, and in particular the devaluation of the Italian lira, has made Ireland a more expensive destination to visit and resulted in a corresponding decline in numbers and revenue.
While we cannot rely on an up turn in the Italian economy to revive this market, I am confident the new tourism brand for Ireland, which will be launched soon, will boost the promotional awareness of Ireland in our overseas markets, including Italy. Under the new brand initiative, intensive marketing campaigns are planned for our main markets, including the US, Britain, France, Germany and Italy. These markets will receive the maximum marketing and promotional support to ensure that numbers and, in particular, revenue from these markets will grow steadily over the coming years and that the full potential of these markets is achieved.
