Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 April 2026
151. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment for an update on the progress of the Strategic Air Access Fund and new tourism initiatives in the UAE and Indian markets to support the "A New Era for Irish Tourism" strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30506/26]
View answer180. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the specific targets that have been set for the new direct flight routes, such as the Dublin-Shanghai route announced in April 2026, to assist with diversifying tourism markets and increasing high-value visitors from Asia and the Middle East; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30507/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 151 and 180 together.
In December 2025, my Department published the new National Tourism Policy Statement, A New Era for Irish Tourism. This policy sets out a clear, long-term vision for the development of the tourism sector through to 2031 and represents a significant milestone for the industry. It firmly aligns tourism policy with Ireland’s wider enterprise, trade and employment objectives, while placing a strong emphasis on sustainable, inclusive growth across all regions of the country.
Tourism is a vital part of Ireland’s economy with overseas visitors contributing approximately €6 billion annually to the island, and the sector supports close to 10% of total employment. Crucially, around six in every ten tourism jobs depend directly on international visitors. Funding allocated to Tourism Ireland in Budget 2026 is supporting the organisation to expand strategic source markets and focus on attracting “value-adding visitors” whose spending delivers tangible benefits to tourism enterprises and local communities across the country.
Tourism Ireland continues to take a forward-looking and strategic approach to market development, supported by a wide range of promotional activity planned throughout the year. Central to this work is a strong focus on resilience and diversification. In this context, the Government’s Action Plan on Market Diversification, launched in August 2025, sets out a series of targeted initiatives to identify and cultivate new opportunities both within mainland Europe and globally. This approach is designed to ensure that Irish tourism businesses remain competitive, adaptable and future-ready in an increasingly dynamic international environment.
As part of this strategy, €1.25 million has been secured for 2026 under the Strategic Air Access Fund. Tourism Ireland has worked closely with Irish airports to develop a Routes Opportunity List that identifies priority opportunities for new and expanded air services.
Through the Strategic Air Access Fund, Tourism Ireland is actively supporting efforts to maximise the opportunities presented by the new China Eastern Airlines service from Shanghai to Dublin, which is due to commence this summer. This will be the first direct air service linking Shanghai and Dublin and represents a significant milestone in improving access from the Chinese market. Convenient, competitive and direct access to the island of Ireland is essential both for the development of overseas tourism and for the broader national economy.
In support of these objectives, Tourism Ireland, together with Dublin Airport, attended Routes Asia 2026 in Xi’an earlier this month to jointly promote Ireland as a world-class tourism and business destination. Connecting the island of Ireland to global markets is central to the future growth of overseas tourism. Participation in Routes Asia provided a key platform to present airlines with a coherent and compelling aviation and destination proposition, combining air access opportunities with market demand and destination appeal. By working collaboratively, Tourism Ireland and Dublin Airport were able to bring demand-led, evidence-based discussions to the forum, supported by Ireland’s strong tourism performance, resilient economy and shared ambition to deliver long-term connectivity growth.
Tourism Ireland’s Global Partnerships team has put in place market representation in the UAE and India to adopt an agile and responsive approach to partnership development. Tourism Ireland will also strengthen its presence at its Asia Hub in Shanghai to support deeper engagement with high-value visitors from China and the wider Asian region. This ensures that all viable commercial opportunities for growth are fully realised. By working hand-in-hand with industry partners and offering a range of innovative and well-established partnership programmes, Tourism Ireland creates opportunities to showcase Ireland’s distinctive tourism offering to international audiences.
Through focused marketing activity and strategic partnerships, Tourism Ireland will continue to inspire visitors, support industry partners, and deliver sustainable overseas tourism growth that benefits businesses and communities across the island.
