Tourism Industry
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-28
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Peter Burke (FG), Longford-Westmeath

I thank the Deputy. The tourism sector entered the year with positive momentum. There were consecutive months of growth in overseas visitors from August through to February, the most recent period reported by the CSO, indicating that tourism was performing strongly prior to the escalation of the conflict. The Government, however, recognises that geopolitical instability, including the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, can have implications for international travel and tourism. Tourism is a vital pillar of Ireland’s economy, with overseas visitors contributing approximately €6 billion annually to the island. The sector supports close to 10% of total employment, and critically, around six in every ten tourism jobs depend directly on international visitors.
The Middle East plays a critical role in global aviation, acting as a major transit hub and accounting for approximately 14% of international transit traffic worldwide. Disruption in the region therefore has system-wide effects that extend well beyond its borders, particularly for connectivity between Asia, Australia and Europe. These disruptions have altered the operating environment for tourism and underscore the importance of continued vigilance and a flexible, responsive policy approach as global uncertainty persists.
Tourism Ireland continues to take a forward-looking approach to market development, underpinned by resilience and diversification. In August 2025, the Government set out targeted initiatives to grow tourism within mainland Europe and globally and avoid over-reliance on any single market. While maintaining strong performance in the US and Great Britain, Tourism Ireland is increasing its focus on mainland Europe, developing Canada as a key growth market, and laying the groundwork for long-term growth in markets such as China. The growing network of new air routes from the US enhances marketing potential. Tourism Ireland continues to undertake extensive advertising, publicity, social and digital activity along with airline and tour operator partnerships. Tourism Ireland's Kickstart campaign earlier this year covered 19 US states.
As an island destination, air access is fundamental, accounting for approximately 90% of overseas inbound connectivity.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-28/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:52+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-28