The Government has published its new National Tourism Policy Statement, detailing – over nearly 90 pages – how it plans to attract more people to visit the country on holiday and entice them to spend more money here.
The new report – subtitled ‘A New Era for Irish Tourism’ – was launched today by Enterprise and Tourism Minister, Peter Burke and boldly spells out where the inbound and domestic tourism industry needs to be by 2031.
It comes at a time when visitor numbers and tourism spend are on the decline, with the country increasingly reliant on visitors from North America and the UK.
Nonetheless, the policy aims for 1 million more tourists – per year – over the next five years and, by 2031 for inbound tourism revenues to reach €9bn and domestic tourism revenues to reach nearly €6bn (which would represent increases of 50% and 7% on 2024 levels, respectively).
Overall – when domestic holidaymakers and inbound visitors are combined – the Government wants tourist spending totals to jump from the €9.6bn generated last year to a figure closer to €15bn.
To boost attractiveness, the Government is promising a new separate tourist accommodation strategy, marketing the country abroad in more seasonal terms to build past just the traditional key strong months of June to September, and the introduction of more themes to entice visitors, with culinary tourism being high on the agenda.
Also, while remaining loyal to the big traditional markets of the UK and North America, a serious effort in promoting the country to tourists in the Gulf States and Asia is planned.
The plan is also for the number of people working in the domestic tourism sector, here, to jump by over 20,000 to 250,000 people by 2031.
Speaking at the policy launch, Minister Burke said: “Tourism is one of Ireland’s most vital indigenous sectors. With over 46,000 tourism-related enterprises, and 228,000 jobs, as Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment I am determined to support these workers and businesses.
“This policy statement sets ambitious targets. In total, we’re targeting growth in international tourism revenue by 6% per annum and domestic revenue by 7% per annum. We want to see 90% of tourism SMEs supported to adopt advanced digital tools, and to grow employment in the sector to 250,000. That’s a clear signal of our confidence in Irish tourism and its potential.
“We are setting the course of direction and the areas for investment for the next five years. I firmly believe that untapped potential exists in many parts of the country, and this policy is designed to unlock that opportunity. We want every community, from urban centres to rural heartlands, to benefit from tourism’s growth and ensure Ireland is the best location to visit in Europe”
