Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 February 2023
77. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if Fáilte Ireland will open a call for applications under the platforms for growth or large grant scheme in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8407/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFáilte Ireland helps to support tourism industry growth in Ireland through its ‘Tourism Development & Innovation’ Strategy for Investment 2016-2022 which underpins all of its investment in tourism capital projects, including all grant schemes and strategic partnerships. This funding supports tourism capital investment projects and initiatives by both the public and private sectors and supports Fáilte Ireland in its strategic aim to deliver genuinely innovative projects that transform visitor experiences for Ireland’s target markets, while supporting jobs in the industry and protecting our natural environment.
Fáilte Ireland’s capital investment programme, Platforms for Growth, ran from 2019 to 2022. The programme, unlike any other Fáilte Ireland project, explicitly targets ‘platforms’ or project types that have the greatest potential to grow tourism across Ireland.
The first Platform for Growth was launched in May 2019 and focused on developing immersive heritage and cultural attractions. Through this platform, Fáilte Ireland invested in heritage and cultural attractions of scale that motivate visitors to travel, either to and-or within Ireland.
The second Platform for Growth focuses on developing water sports activity facilities across the country. These facilities will provide a hub in each locality from which multiple water sport operators can base themselves. €19 million worth of investment is to be used to develop world-class facility centres at 20 locations across the country where water-based activities are a key visitor attraction.
In 2022, Fáilte Ireland launched a Gala Dinner Venues Investment Scheme as the third Platform for Growth. This is a small capital investment scheme, offering investment grants of up to 100% of eligible project costs to a maximum of €200,000 per project. The scheme aims to support the development of up to seven significant gala dinner venues of scale in the environs of Ireland’s premier business tourism hubs i.e. Dublin, Cork, Kerry, the Shannon Region and Galway. Targeting this gap in the Business Events segment will assist recovery and growth of revenue.
Currently, Fáilte Ireland has no plans to launch a new Platforms for Growth Scheme in 2023. However, Fáilte Ireland is developing a new investment plan which will be in line with the agency's Statement of Strategy and the forthcoming national Sustainable Tourism Policy, which is currently in development. Fáilte Ireland also provides further capital supports to tourism attractions and experiences in Ireland through other channels, including small grants schemes, strategic partnerships with other State bodies and some direct investments.
