Following what was a record year for overseas visitors to Ireland in 2016, recent figures published by the CSO showed that overseas visitors for the first quarter of 2017 were slightly up on 2016. Whilst there was strong growth from the North American market, visitors from Britain were down 6.5% year on year.
It is too early to state definitively what the reasons are for this decline and whether it will carry through to the remainder of the year. It is clear, however, that the Sterling depreciation following the Brexit referendum has made Ireland, and every other Eurozone country, relatively more expensive for British travellers than was previously the case. Furthermore, research has indicated that British consumers are likely to scale back on overseas holiday activity this year.
In line with the Tourism Action Plan, I am committed to seeking to restore the Tourism Marketing Fund to pre-recession levels on a phased basis. I have secured increased funding for the Tourism Marketing Fund this year of over 2% and I will be seeking further additional funding for next year in order to mitigate any negative effects of Brexit on tourism. Tourism Ireland will continue to focus on protecting our market share in Britain, while at the same time seeking to increase diversification into other markets, particularly those that deliver higher tourism revenue.
Fáilte Ireland is also working on a number of fronts to assist the diversification and development of our tourism industry and the attractiveness of our tourism product offering. Ongoing work to develop the main experience brands and enhance visitor experiences is aimed at boosting our appeal to key target markets and priority consumer segments. With regard to training and business supports, Fáilte Ireland offers a suite of supports to enhance the competitiveness, enterprise capability and sustainability of the tourism sector. In addition, it is creating a new Brexit Response Programme that will focus on delivering a Capability Building programme for Industry.
Maintaining the overall competitiveness in our tourism industry is also vital at this time. While the industry itself acknowledges that it is primarily responsible for competitiveness, I will be endeavouring to seek to maintain the lower VAT rate for the tourism industry and also to keep the air travel tax at zero.
