Vol. 509 No. 2
52 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the plans, if any, he has to further enhance Ireland's position as a major international tourist location post 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter with particular reference to his policy affecting this area. [19971/99]
Ireland's tourism industry has, with the help of EU funds under two successive Operational Programmes for Tourism, been transformed over the past decade. Over £1 billion has been invested in the key tourism areas of product development, marketing and training. As a result, foreign exchange earnings from tourism reached a record £2.3 billion last year and an estimated 127,000 jobs are sustained by the industry.
I am committed, together with the State tourism agencies and in partnership with the tourism industry, to overseeing the continued, sustainable development of the industry well into the new millennium. This will require delivery of ongoing improvements in the standard and quality of the tourism product; efficient and friendly service; competitive access and good value for money. Overarching these elements is the need to continue to market Ireland as a quality destination in the international market-place. We have much more work to do towards achieving a more balanced geographical and seasonal spread of tourism revenue and ensuring our growth is environmentally sensitive and sustainable.
My plans for the post-1999 period, which build on my Department's 1998 discussion paper – Strategy for Tourism in the Context of EU Structural Funds 2000-2006, a copy of which I will make available to the Deputy, are at an advanced stage. I am looking to secure a range of measures in the forthcoming national development plan to underpin implementation of a coherent tourism strategy up to 2006, which will have among its aims a more balanced geographical and seasonal spread of tourism revenue and ensuring our growth is environmentally sensitive and sustainable.
