Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 February 2023
80. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the provisions her Department is making to replace funding to the tourism sector, secured through the Immigrant Investor Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8532/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, the Immigrant Investor Programme was established over a decade ago and is under the remit of the Minister for Justice.
I understand that this programme was designed to encourage investors and business professionals from outside the European Economic Area to avail of opportunities for investing and locating their business interests in Ireland and to acquire a secure residency status in Ireland. I also understand that it is not possible to break down the investment figures showing how much went to the tourism sector specifically under the Scheme.
In terms of funding that I as Minister direct to the tourism sector, in Budget 2023 I secured €15 million in additional funding for overseas marketing of Ireland. As global competition heightens, sustaining extensive marketing campaigns will be vital to support the ongoing recovery effort, building on the initial inbound tourism demand seen in 2022.
The Budget also contains an additional €15 million for a range of industry initiatives including:
- A continuation of the investment in skills development and retention (€3 million)
- A €2 million increase in funding for domestic marketing
- I also secured additional funding €3 million to allow Fáilte Ireland to continue its work in the area of sustainability.
Tourism agencies are working hard to assist those in the tourism sector. Tourism Ireland will roll out an extensive and targeted programme of activity in 2023, with a total marketing budget of €78 million. A wide range of promotional activities will be undertaken as well as working with the tourism industry at home and the travel trade overseas to facilitate sales.
In addition, Fáilte Ireland announced its 2023 plans yesterday which include work in the area of recruitment and retention of staff and sustainability as they seek to support businesses, communities and regions. They will also undertake a range of measures to support the sector in 2023, including domestic marketing and transforming the digital capabilities of tourism businesses,
Other allocations in Budget 2023 included €36.5 million in capital funding for tourism product development for the continued delivery of enhanced visitor experiences in line with the objectives of the National Development Plan 2021-2030.
While the sector faces many challenges, I will continue to engage with the sector and with my Government colleagues to ensure that the industry is well positioned to maintain current levels of recovery and to grow sustainably in the coming years.
