Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 December 2015
23. Deputy Helen McEntee asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to his Dáil statement on 30 April 2015 regarding his efforts as Minister to promote Ireland's trade and export markets through his work with embassies, agencies and businesses, if he will update Dáil Éireann on his Department’s efforts to promote a particular initiative (details supplied). [45027/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am pleased to have this opportunity to update the Deputy further on my Department’s promotion of ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’ since her question of 3 November 2015 on the same initiative.
While tourism falls under the portfolio of my Ministerial colleague, Paschal Donohoe, T.D., Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, the Deputy is no doubt aware of my own personal interest in promoting the high-quality tourism offerings available in our region.
Our Embassy network works closely with Tourism Ireland promoting Ireland as a tourism destination overall, in addition to specific initiatives such as ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’, and in highlighting individual regional attractions which might resonate in a particular market at a particular time.
I would like to bring to your attention a number of Embassy-supported events from around the world which promoted ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’, very often in close cooperation with Tourism Ireland, the State agency responsible for the overseas promotion of tourism to the island of Ireland. These events are in addition to those I mentioned in my previous response to the Deputy, intended to be representative rather than exhaustive, and do not take account of the Embassy network’s broader promotion of ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’ on social media or in an informal manner in the context of other events that promote Ireland.
The Embassy of Ireland in Norway has promoted the ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’ campaign via the organisation of a roundtable event with several Norwegian tour operators in conjunction with Tourism Ireland’s Nordic branch office. As part of this discussion there was a particular focus on the ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’ promotion.
Further afield, the Embassy of Ireland in China has worked with Tourism Ireland on promoting ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’ since June 2015. Tourism Ireland launched this destination during this year's China Sales Mission which took place in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. In addition, a bespoke trade and consumer ezine themed on ‘Ireland's Ancient East’ was widely circulated in September.
The Embassy of Ireland in Australia works with Tourism Ireland to promote tourism generally. During Canberra’s annual multicultural festival in February 2015, ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’ was promoted at the Ireland stand. More recently, the Deputy Consul General in Sydney attended a key trade event held at Sydney Tower on 2 November 2015 in which Tourism Ireland promoted ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’.
On a more general level, Ireland’s Permanent Mission to UNESCO in Paris assists in obtaining UNESCO recognition of appropriate sites in Ireland, which could include sites falling under the region covered by ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’.
Looking ahead, there are plans in train for promotion of ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’ in 2016, including across the key German market and, in February, the Embassy of Ireland in Denmark will support a Tourism Ireland-hosted workshop in Copenhagen aimed at the whole Scandinavian travel industry which will mark the official launch of ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’ in the Nordic region.
In 2016, Tourism Ireland in China will continue to promote Ireland's Ancient East through trade, digital and publicity channels. The month long St. Patrick’s Day festival, which is organised in several major cities by Team Ireland in China, will provide a major platform for promoting Ireland, including all of its tourism destinations. Promotional material highlighting ‘Ireland's Ancient East’ will be provided to partners in the travel industry during sales calls and at trade training sessions throughout 2016. In the second half of 2016 there will be an online campaign focussed on the region.
In South Africa, at the AGM of the Embassy-supported BISA (Business Ireland Southern Africa) network in Pretoria on Friday 13 November, the Tourism Ireland agent based in South Africa presented ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’ to the representatives present from Irish Business Networks in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Harare.
If the Deputy has specific thoughts on how the Embassy network, working closely with the State agencies and Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, might additionally promote or showcase ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’ and other tourism initiatives, I would be very happy to discuss these with her.
