 Your Views Wanted for New Tourism Policy Review
Your ideas on future plans for Irish tourism are being sought in a new Government tourism review which was launched this morning by Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar and Minister of State for Tourism & Sport Michael Ring.
This wide-ranging review of Ireland’s tourism policy includes a consultation process incorporating a question paper which was published today, and which asks all those interested to consider challenging questions about the future of Irish tourism.
The discussion document outlines developments in tourism in Ireland and worldwide in recent years, and raises key questions on a number of themes.
The consultation document includes a total of 20 topics on which views and submissions are invited. They include:
- where our priority country markets should be;
- what should the balance of spending be among marketing, events and attractions;
- how we can build on the success of the Gathering;
- how can we best harness local authorities, communities,
- business to support tourism;
- how should we measure success, visits or revenue.
Welcoming the start of a public consultation process to develop a new tourism policy, Shaun Quinn, CEO of Fáilte Ireland today said:
“In the last year, tourism has reached a new phase where, for the first time since the global downturn, businesses are now moving from consolidation and survival to seeking out new sources of additional customers and revenue.
“The announcement of today’s review is timely and ultimately will set out a shared destination for Fáilte Ireland and all our industry partners as we work towards consistent and sustainable growth within the sector”.
Speaking at the launch this morning, Mr Quinn emphasised a number of areas of strategic focus:
- The future of Irish tourism will be rooted in international demand;
- Tourism needs to figure out how to get better and better at delivering compelling and authentic consumer experiences;
- As in other areas of the economy, such as the newspaper industry, tourism needs to meet the challenge (and opportunity) of digital media and create the attractive creative content to suit social media and present Ireland as a cool and compelling place to visit;
- Tourism is now competitive but it needs to continue to work smarter – providing quality experiences at a competitive price.
Mr Quinn urged all with an interest in tourism to become involved in the creation of a new strategy for tourism, adding:
“I would urge anybody with a stake in tourism to take the time to reflect outside the box and don’t let the past constrain your thoughts of a future. Let’s shape a policy direction capable of supporting sustainable growth for the benefit of the economy, the Exchequer and hard pressed communities”.
Download a copy of the Tourism Policy Public Consultation paper here
Where to send submissions
Submissions can be emailed to [email protected] or sent by post to:
Tourism Policy
Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport
44 Kildare Street
Dublin 2
The deadline for submissions is 1 November 2013. |
