Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 June 2026
280. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the additional measures Tourism Ireland will take to increase the number of visitors coming to Ireland from Asian countries during the second half of 2026; and the budget allocation for same. [46841/26]
View answerIn December 2025, my Department published A New Era for Irish Tourism, a new National Tourism Policy Statement setting out a clear long-term vision for the sector to 2031. It marks a significant milestone, aligning tourism with Ireland’s broader enterprise, trade and employment objectives, while prioritising sustainable, inclusive growth across all regions.
The policy recognises Ireland’s unique tourism offering and sets ambitious growth targets, with a stronger focus on expanding direct air connectivity from key inbound markets, particularly Asia. Delivering year-round demand will be essential to achieving overseas growth targets.
In Budget 2026, €7.5 million has been allocated under the Overseas Tourism Marketing Fund, for market diversification activity, enabling Tourism Ireland to expand strategic source markets and attract higher-value visitors to Ireland.
As an island destination, air access accounts for around 90% of inbound tourism and is vital to growth. Strong air links and efficient transport remain critical to maintaining competitiveness and attracting visitors. With €1.25 million secured under Budget 2026 for the Strategic Air Access Fund, Tourism Ireland has worked with airports to identify opportunities for new and expanded air services, including long-haul services from Asia. The fund will support cooperative initiatives with carriers to stimulate demand and maximise economic returns. This includes leveraging new routes such as the China Eastern Airlines Shanghai to Dublin service launching next month, the first direct connection from Shanghai, opening significant opportunities for tourism growth from China. This new route along with the daily service from Beijing to Dublin by Hainan Airlines will increase the number of weekly flights from China to Ireland this summer to 10.
Tourism Ireland, alongside DAA, also participated in Routes Asia 2026 in Xi’an, promoting Ireland as a leading leisure and business destination and supporting global connectivity. This event may provide further opportunities for new services from other locations in Asia in the future.
Tourism Ireland’s Global Partnerships team continues to pursue agile partnership-based opportunities through a wide range of partnership programmes, supporting industry partners in showcasing Ireland’s tourism offering globally. New in-market Tourism Ireland teams have been contracted in India and China in 2026. These teams will work to strengthen Ireland’s partnerships across Asia and ensure that all business opportunities for growth are fully realised.
