Vol. 518 No. 3
46 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the discussions which have taken place with Bord Fáilte regarding the effectiveness of trade promotions abroad; the amount of money allocated for these promotions; and the future role for private sector participation. [11512/00]
The effectiveness of Bord Fáilte's marketing activities is monitored by my Department, particularly against achievement of national tourism targets which are set in terms of overseas visitor revenue, number of jobs created and seasonal and regional distribution of tourism revenue. Under the Operational Programme for Tourism 1994-1999 both revenue and jobs targets were well exceeded while progress was made towards increasing the proportion of visitors arriving in the shoulder and off-peak seasons.
In carrying out its core function of selling Ireland overseas as a tourism destination, Bord Fáilte utilises a wide range of marketing communication tools.
These include "above the line" activities such as TV-Radio-Press-Print and Internet advertising and what are termed "below the line" activities which include direct marketing, trade, media and consumer promotions and the production and dissemination of tourism promotional material.
The amount of moneys allocated to various marketing activities – including trade promotions – is an operational matter for Bord Fáilte. However, I understand from Bord Fáilte that there is a significant degree of industry participation in overseas trade promotions and that workshops, in particular, are almost entirely financed by participants for whose benefit they are organised by the board.
