A capital investment programme that earmarks almost €100 million for the development of international-class visitor attractions and leisure activities was launched today by Minister for Tourism Seamus Brennan.
There will be funding of around €70 million to be invested in upgrading many of the leading tourist attractions in the State as well as investing in new "imaginative" projects. A further €30 million will be targeted at enhancing leisure and activity facilities.
Mr Brennan said that in the intensely competitive global tourism industry it is vital that Ireland constantly refreshes and improves its visitor facilities while at the same time developing new and innovative attractions that build on our worldwide reputation as a country that offers a renowned traditional welcome and a captivating legacy of history, heritage and culture.
"I take every opportunity to remind everybody that tourism accounts for 4 per cent of GNP, employs 250,000 people and is contributing some €6.5 billion in tourism revenues each year.
"Now that we have the signs of a slowdown in some parts of the economy, such as construction, tourism has the potential to again come to the fore as a consistent and solid contributor to the economic well being of this country," he said.
The programme is part of the tourism product development funding commitments in the National Development Plan 2007-2013 that will provide up to €15 million in 2008 alone.
In total some €98 million has been pledged for investment in this new drive to significantly upgrade our main facilities and to roll out a variety of new attractions for tourists.
The Minister said that within the current National Development Plan, there are significant elements directly within the control of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism in the arts, culture and sport areas and it was his intention to ensure that the development of tourism resources is aligned with a broader product development Strategy.
"I would like to see us drawing on support from across the public sector and also greatly expanding our tourism product through a new cooperation with a range of public bodies who up to now may not have been encouraged to factor tourism development into their activities", Mr Brennan said.
"I am confident that by creating a more widely based tourism investment environment, the NDP will facilitate the most cohesive and focused development of the sector ever undertaken.
"With the Tourism Capital Investment Programme I want to ensure that the available funds will be directed towards projects and areas which will bring the best results in terms of visitor interest, build on our strengths and deliver the best economic returns to the operators and to the regions," he said.