Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 April 2021
413. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media her plans for the recovery of the tourism sector nationally in the event of getting Covid-19 under control; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22329/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra420. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she anticipates a reasonable recovery of the tourism sector in all areas nationally in 2021; if she expects to develop new programmes to encourage tourism in Ireland and abroad in the near future in the event of Covid-19 being brought under control; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22338/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 413 and 420 together.
It is too early to predict what kind of a recovery the tourism sector will experience in 2021, but I continue to work closely with my colleagues in Government in respect of reopening society and the economy, informed by the epidemiological situation, the evolution of testing technologies, progress being made on the vaccination programme and public health advice.
I am committed to continuing support for tourism through this difficult period. Together with horizontal measures introduced by Government, such as the EWSS and the CRSS, the sector-specific measures I have introduced to date, including the Tourism Business Continuity Scheme, the schemes for Inbound Tour Operators and Coach Tourism Operators, the Covid Adaptation Scheme, and the Outdoor Dining Scheme are key in helping tourism businesses to survive and adapt. Government has also made it clear that there will be no 'cliff-edge' end to supports.
As part of the National Economic Recovery Plan, Government will be outlining how it will help people return to work and further support sectors which have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Along with my colleagues in Government, I will consider more targeted measures to help reboot those sectors, such as tourism, which will face particular challenges during the recovery phase when the economy reopens.
The Tourism Recovery Taskforce presented the Tourism Recovery Plan 2020 – 2023 to me on September 30th last. The Plan makes a number of recommendations to help tourism businesses to survive, stabilise and recover from the COVID pandemic. Those recommendations have provided significant input into Government deliberations in considering measures to assist the sector. The Tourism Recovery Oversight Group presented its first report to me in February, setting out progress to date in the implementation of the Tourism Recovery Plan, as well as areas it identified as requiring attention. The Oversight Group noted and welcomed the progress that has been made to date, both in terms of the broader employee and business supports and the tourism-specific measures I have introduced. The reports produced by the Group can be accessed on www.gov.ie/tourismrecoverytaskforce
I continue to engage with the sector on a regular basis and in particular through the Hospitality and Tourism Forum. This forum was established by the Tánaiste and I last year in order to provide a platform to assess the continuing impact of the pandemic, to help improve understanding and responses to the crisis and to discuss ideas for recovery measures, thus assisting the Government in formulating its on-going response to the crisis. The Forum has met three times to date and is scheduled to meet for the fourth time next month.
In line with our Programme for Government commitments, the development of a new national tourism policy, which will have sustainability at its core, will commence later this year when the sector begins to recover from the COVID-19 crisis. This new policy will set out a path for the coming years which will support a sustainable recovery and subsequent growth in the sector. Tourism has proven itself resilient before and I am confident that, with the support of Government, it will recover from this crisis and thrive again.
