Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 29 September 2010
1391 Deputy Deirdre Clune asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport her plans to develop and promote cultural tourism here; if funding is available to support projects designed for the cultural tourism sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32495/10]
Amharc ar fhreagra1397 Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport her plans to promote the cultural tourism industry here so that the potential to generate additional tourist numbers and spend will be capitalised on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32813/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1391 and 1397 together.
Deputies will be aware that my predecessor initiated a successful Cultural Tourism Initiative in 2009 and on foot of this Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland continue to develop and promote the cultural tourism sector. Activities in this area include the promotion of cultural activities, attractions and events, as well as workshops and development activity with the cultural tourism sector. Some examples include:
significant development of certain key areas of cultural strength, such as the Aran Islands and Dingle Peninsula, as cultural tourism destinations and the development of heritage themed consumer experiences;
upgrade of cultural tourism attractions such as Russborough House as well as development of new heritage attractions e.g. Waterford Viking Triangle;
the production of guidelines for Historic Towns on how to maximise their tourism potential;
the rolling-out in 2011 by Fáilte Ireland of the national crafts tourism quality framework coinciding with ‘The Year of the Craft 2011' and
from October 2010 a weekly Discover Ireland Ciné-Café in Bewleys on Grafton Street will bring the best of Irish short film to the attention of visitors.
My Department is also involved directly in a number of measures, including most recently Culture Night 2010, which assist the promotion of Ireland as a location for cultural activities, thus increasing its attractiveness as a destination for cultural tourism.
In addition, to encourage the deployment of information and communications technologies and modern communications tools in the promotion of arts, culture and cultural tourism, I launched a Cultural Technology scheme earlier this summer. Applications are currently being assessed and I hope to announce the successful projects in this round in coming weeks.
