Tourism Policy
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-13
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Peter Burke (FG), Longford-Westmeath

Enhancing cross-Border co-operation and connections is a key ambition of this Government, and the tourism plan is an important asset towards achieving this goal. Tourism Ireland is responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination, and it works closely with colleagues in Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland. In addition to a commitment to work with Fáilte Ireland to develop a balanced regional spread of tourism throughout the country, further advancing the experience brands, the programme for government also includes a commitment to support Tourism Ireland to further integrate tourism offerings on an all-island basis.
In line with the programme for government, my Department published the new tourism strategy, A New Era for Irish Tourism, on 1 December 2025. This policy provides an overview of the Government’s long-term approach to tourism development to 2031 and sets out a clear framework to support a competitive, sustainable and regionally balanced tourism sector. The policy provides for the delivery of all-island product development and promotion through the tourism agencies and shared island funding, and for the development of new tourism opportunities, building on the Wild Atlantic Way and Causeway Coastal Route brand collaboration project and the implementation of the Cuilcagh lakelands, Carlingford Lough and Sliabh Beagh shared destinations projects.
The commitments outlined in the new policy on North-South tourism include the Government’s commitment to ongoing co-operation in the overseas marketing of the island of Ireland as a holiday destination. In this regard, the Government will work with counterparts in Northern Ireland to ensure that Tourism Ireland continues to be adequately resourced to successfully carry out its remit and help achieve the policy objectives. My Department, in consultation with the tourism agencies, will continue to support shared island bids for joint initiatives, which will enhance regional connectivity and create more cohesive visitor experiences across the island. Under the All-Island Strategic Tourism Group, which was established by the North South Ministerial Council, my Department and tourism agencies will work with counterparts in Northern Ireland to identify key areas of North-South co-ordination and co-operation to harness the tourism potential of the whole island, offering rewarding experiences for visitors while supporting communities across the island.

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-13/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:30+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-13