Food related tourism among priorities in new National Tourism Policy
Ottoline Spearman
Food-related tourism will get a push in the new tourism policy, announced by the Government on Monday.
“A New Era for Irish Tourism”, launched by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, will see a commitment to develop food-related tourism, placing a key focus on the culinary offering provided by the sector.
The new tourism policy includes 71 policy proposals, and will also set targets for Fáilte Ireland and other tourism bodies on employment numbers and visitor spend.
It will also launch a Strategic Air Access Programme for new airline routes.
The Government hopes to increase overseas visitor revenue by 50 per cent to €9 billion over the next five years.
There were foreign earnings of over €6 billion from tourism in 2024, with overseas visitors estimated to account for three-quarters of the total tourism spend in the economy.
Tourism currently generates nearly 10 per cent of all jobs in the economy, with 46,000 tourism-related enterprises.
Mr Burke said: "In total, we’re targeting growth in international tourism revenue by 6 per cent per annum and domestic revenue by 7 per cent per annum.
"We want to see 90 per cent of tourism SMEs supported to adopt advanced digital tools, and to grow employment in the sector to 250,000. That’s a clear signal of our confidence in Irish tourism and its potential."
Tánaiste Simon Harris said: "Tourism is one of Ireland’s most vital indigenous industries. It supports jobs, sustains thousands of businesses, and touches every community from the streets of our capital city in Dublin to some of the most remote and rural parts of our country.
"It is about people, experiences, and the stories we share with the world. This policy sets out a clear and ambitious vision: resilience, sustainability, and growth."
