Tourism Promotion
Dail Éireann — 2025-11-13
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Peter Burke (FG), Longford-Westmeath

I thank the Deputy for this important question. Enhancing cross-Border co-operation and connections is a key ambition of this Government and tourism is an important asset we have to realise together.
Tourism Ireland is responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination and 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.
The Government is also committed to completing construction of the Narrow Water Bridge and to supporting the local authorities on both sides of the bridge in developing the new tourism opportunities it will bring and to collaborating with partners North and South of the Border.
At the North South Ministerial Council tourism sectoral in June 2024, Ministers signed a joint ministerial statement supporting sustainable tourism and agreed to the establishment of a joint strategic co-ordination group for the sustainable growth of the tourism sector across both jurisdictions.
The all-island strategic tourism group, which is co-chaired by officials in my Department and the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy, with representatives from the three tourism agencies, provides a strategic approach, aligned to policy priorities, to the development and implementation of all-island initiatives. The aim of the group is aligned with the measure in the programme for Government to support Tourism Ireland to further integrate tourism offerings on an all-island basis.
Tourism is also a central pillar of the shared island initiative. The brand collaboration project to connect the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route in the north-west region has made significant progress this year with the roll-out of the small grants scheme for destinations on both sides of the Border.
In May, Tourism Ireland launched a new campaign called Coast to Coast: The Scenic Route, which was supported by the shared island tourism brand collaboration project. The campaign reached almost 15 million people across Britain.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-11-13/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:06+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-11-13