Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 October 2024
235. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to provide a full breakdown of how the Brexit Adjustment Fund funding allocated to her Department was spent, by project, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38548/24]
View answerAs a result of the adverse impact of Brexit on Irish tourism, €7.75 million in Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) funding was allocated to Tourism Ireland in 2023 to put in place a marketing strategy to stem and reverse the decline in tourist numbers and associated revenues from Great Britain and Northern Ireland and also to grow tourism from other markets.?
The marketing strategy reflected the short-term need to both retain GB business and gain more EU visitors and, in parallel, to help to drive greater market diversification. Tourism Ireland undertook a comprehensive programme of marketing activity throughout 2023, targeting both Great Britain and key European markets.
As outlined by the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform in PQ 233 on September 18 this year, the exact composition of Ireland's BAR claim will not be finalised until the claim is submitted to the EU Commission. Once this is finalised, it will be possible to confirm detail in relation to individual projects and final amounts.
Notwithstanding that, the actions taken by Tourism Ireland supported the tourism economy by enabling it to remain competitive in response to Brexit, protect jobs in the sector, support exposed regions and diversify markets after Brexit.
Activity programs were implemented under the following headings:
|
Campaign Theme |
Activities |
|
Campaign focus for visitors from GB |
Publicity; Consumer Advertising Campaigns; Work with B2B tour operator partners |
|
Campaign focus for visitors from Mainland Europe |
Publicity; Consumer Advertising Campaigns; Work with B2B tour operator partners |
|
Supporting the Irish tourism industry most impacted by Brexit |
Fairs, workshops and events |
