Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 May 2022
204. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the status of the Programme for Government initiative to work with the Northern Ireland executive to create a coastal tourist trail linking the Wild Atlantic Way, the Causeway Coastal Route and the area along Ireland’s eastern and southern coasts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27676/22]
View answerFáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland continue to collaborate on the promotion of the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route as one coastal tourism route in the overseas markets. The importance of tourism to the economy on both sides of the border and the clear logic in taking a joint approach to the promotion and development of the sector led to tourism being one of the areas chosen for formal North South cooperation, through the structures created by the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. That cooperation has been hugely beneficial, with the tourism sector now an exemplar of what can be achieved when we work together on this island with a shared purpose and for clear mutual benefit.
Tourism Ireland promotes the island of Ireland in more than 21 markets overseas as a compelling holiday destination, using the Ireland brand to position the island as strongly as possible against more than 200 other destinations with which Ireland competes. Tourism Ireland promotes both the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route on a range of platforms, including online, via publicity and overseas trade platforms.
My Department and both tourism agencies will continue to foster north-south co-operation to enhance an all-island tourism offering and grow international visitor numbers to the entire island.
On 20 January 2022, I took part in a Shared Island Dialogue event hosted by the Department of the Taoiseach, which focused on all-island tourism. Over 160 tourism and civil society stakeholders from across the island joined the event online to discuss the success of tourism cooperation on the island of Ireland over the past 20 years and explore how best to enhance opportunities for domestic and international visitors in the years ahead.
My Department will continue to work with the Department of the Taoiseach on implementing our commitments to the North/South development of tourism as included in the Shared Island chapter of the renewed National Development Plan. This includes supporting Tourism Ireland in its mission to grow tourism into the island of Ireland, to promote the recovery of the sector post-pandemic and to work with the Northern Ireland Executive on developing large scale North/South tourism initiatives which will support the sustainable growth of the sector including cross-border walking and cycling trails as well as new marketing opportunities.
