The Interim Report of the Tourism Policy Review Group has shown that the economic and social contribution of the Irish tourism industry is undervalued, nationally and at Government level.
It said the sector generates €4 billion in foreign revenue earnings, employs 150,000, generates up to €2.3 billion in taxation and makes a significant contribution to regional development.
Tourism Minister John O'Donoghue welcomed the publication of report, saying it contains a number of important and substantive conclusions and provides an outline for the framework for the way forward for the tourism sector in Ireland.
The report claimed that because of the diversity of the customer base and the tourism product, a range of external factors impact on its development. Yet the impact of such factors, it said, is often not sufficiently taken into account when decisions are being made by Government or elsewhere.
It said tourism in Ireland is at a crossroads and that after successful growth in the 1990s there are now indications of deterioration in Ireland's competitiveness, which threatens the future of the sector.
The review group concluded that despite recent external shocks, the prospects for the international travel and tourism sector remain in the medium and longer term highly positive.
The key to future success for Ireland, it said, is for the industry to focus on the quality of the holiday experience to the visitor. A relentless emphasis on value for money, encompassing high quality and service standards and product innovation is essential.
* The new national tourism development agency, Failte Ireland, was officially launched today. Chairperson Gillian Bowler said the agency will take a long-term, strategic and holistic approach to the continued and sustainable development of the Irish tourism sector.
