Vol. 471 No. 7
347 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the outstanding recommendations, if any, of the Tourism Task Force; the time schedule for the implementation of the outstanding recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22152/96]
The Tourism Task Force was established by the then Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications in February 1992 and reported in October of that year.
Its report made detailed and wide-ranging recommendations under the broad headings of organisation and structures, tourism product development and tourism financing and marketing. Most of the key areas which the task force identified as requiring action or attention, for example, tourism priority in the allocation of European Union funds, marketing and seasonality, have been taken account of in the current community support framework and more specifically in the Operational Programme for Tourism, 1994-1999.
Since the report a new Department of Tourism and Trade has been established and, following the A D Little Review, the work of Bord Fáilte has been refocused broadly along lines similar to task force recommendations. Product marketing companies have been set up in a number of niche areas and the Tourism Council has been in operation since September 1993. In so far as marketing is concerned, subsequent measures have since built on the recommendations of the task force, for example, the overseas tourism marketing initiative and the recently launched "Tourism Brand Ireland" campaign.
