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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 5 Mar 1997

Vol. 475 No. 8

Other Questions. - Tourism Brand Ireland.

Tony Killeen

Ceist:

10 Mr. Killeen asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the level of finance which will need to be committed to Tourism Brand Ireland in each of the years to 2007; and the amount of this finance which will come from EU funds, from State resources and from the industry. [6080/97]

As indicated to the House on 30 January last and in a previous statement by the Minister of State to the House on 26 November, Bord Fáilte, as part of its day to day marketing and promotional activity, is responsible for managing Tourism Brand Ireland including monitoring its costs and the sourcing of funding for the project.

There are a number of concerns in this area including that of funding post 1999. That will be dealt with in subsequent questions, but it is pertinent to this one. There is a concern in the trade that the cost of the Tourism Brand Ireland initiative will be substantial. It will have to be met from some source. Assuming there will be reduced EU funds after 1999, State resources will have to be invested to a much greater extent than heretofore in this area and the industry will also be expected to contribute. Will the Minister indicate how the industry will contribute? Is it envisaged a levy will be imposed on operators? How is will the cost of Tourism Brand Ireland be met over the next ten years?

The Minister of State gave a fairly comprehensive reply to this on 26 November. He said as he indicated in reply to previous questions on this subject Bord Fáilte estimated that up to £60 million per year is spent on a broad definition of tourism marketing funded by the Exchequer, the EU and industry sources. I had a discussion on this matter at the National Tourism Council in the past two weeks. Frank contributions were made by officials of Bord Fáilte and people in the industry. We do not know the levels of funding that will be available post 1999. That was the subject of some discussion yesterday in Brussels where the Taoiseach indicated Ireland's position.

There has been a major growth in the number of hotels in the Dublin area. I would like those hotels, which are commercial ventures, to understand they must put their shoulders to the marketing wheel to sell the facilities abroad. In that sense I hope Government, EU and industry initiatives will ensure the Tourism Brand Ireland concept will continue into the next century. The stock of material available to Bord Fáilte will last for the next three to five years and it will be well worthwhile.

We do not know what will happen post 1999, but we should begin to discuss that now to ensure the tourism industry understands the importance of its place and that we in Government recognise the part the industry is playing and, I hope, will continue to play in an expanded sense in the future.

The Minister is aware I strongly support the sense of innovation that underpins the Tourism Brand Ireland initiative, but there is a concern that a large proportion of the £60 million per annum he mentioned may be absorbed in promoting the Ireland concept, that less money will be available for direct selling and the take for people involved in tourism could be greatly diminished or the direct demands on the industry for marketing will become so large that they could not be sustained. The Minister referred to that in his previous answer. Can he give an assurance that difficulty has been foreseen and an attempt is being made to put in place a long-term plan to address it?

The answer to that is yes. The objective is to reorientate an increasing element of that spend behind the Tourism Brand Ireland initiative. I also chair the foreign earnings committee which deals with the heads of semi-State bodies and various embassies around the world. We are anxious that the branding of Ireland will be done in as co-ordinated a fashion as possible because those people involved in business, tourism and diplomatic circles can influence the way our country is perceived abroad and the business and trade we can do with other countries internationally. We know where we want to go, but to get there we need the co-operation and commitment of everyone concerned and I hope we can get that.

When the Minister launched the tourism Ireland marketing effort on 11 November he stated the overall theme of the promotion of Ireland would be the motto, "live a different life". Is he aware the meaning of that motto as perceived in Ireland is different from the way it is perceived in the United States of America? A certain implication is attached to it in the States. Is that theme being used to promote Ireland in America or has it been changed?

I am aware of the sexual connotations associated with living a different life.

I was more discreet than that.

We do not talk about that subject in this House.

The marketing in America is done under a different heading. We are conscious of that.

How successful has Bord Fáilte been in encouraging joint ventures between prominent commercial companies in this country and the tourism brand? My old pet subject of the abandonment of the original logo, the dear little shamrock, is another question.

In one of Deputy Andrews' fine contributions in the House, he said the shamrock was crushed. However, it is alive and well. The new logo is catching on and Bord Fáilte has no intention of abandoning its traditional large shamrock as a central logo. It is in discussion with a number of companies but conclusions have not been arrived at in terms of major sponsorship.

It has been in discussion for a long time. There has to be an end to these discussions. Can we get this right? I hope the national conference centre and Tourism Brand Ireland are successful and I do not want to diminish them. We are entitled to ask about the progress of matters which are strategic to the future development of commerce and industry.

The Deputy is entitled to ask the question. The Tourism Brand Ireland concept was initiated at the tourism council and was developed and paid for by the Exchequer, at no cost to the industry. It is a first class product and I know the Deputy attended the national launch. It has been well received by the industry, both at home and abroad. I hope that as people understand its implications and importance those involved in the industry will reorientate more of the marketing fund for Ireland into a more focused and concentrated expansion of Tourism Brand Ireland. It is a great concept and as people understand and get to know it, they will back it financially.

They will never understand the logo.

The logo depicts two people dancing——

The poor old shamrock is crushed between them.

——which is one of the attractions of Ireland. However, I agree that considering some of the styles of dancing around these days, it is difficult to imagine it is like that.

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