Tourism policy review

THE tourism industry, tourists and members of the public have been invited to contribute their ideas on future plans for Ireland’s tourism industry, in a new Government initiative.

Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar and Minister of State for Tourism & Sport Michael Ring launched a wide-ranging review of Ireland’s tourism policy at a conference in Dublin. This is the first time this has been done since New Horizons back in 2003.

The consultation and question paper published by the two ministers asks the tourism industry, stakeholders in the public and private sectors, tourists and the general public to answer challenging questions about the future of Irish tourism.

“Tourism has moved from crisis mode two years ago, firmly into recovery mode now. With the success of The Gathering, a significant increase in overseas visits for three years in a row and a good summer for domestic tourism behind us, we now must ask ourselves, what next? I want this to be the most far-reaching review of Irish tourism policy review in years. 2013 has been a good year for Irish tourism. What I want now is a plan for sustainable growth out to 2020 and beyond,” said Mr Varadkar.

“This is the right time to think about where our priorities for tourism policy should lie, to maximise the benefits to Ireland and make sure we apply our resources where they can make the biggest difference,” he added.