The need to reframe the narrative around tourism, after five challenging years, was highlighted by Minister for Tourism Peter Burke in his speech to the president’s dinner of the Irish Hotels Federation Annual Conference in Killarney.
Tourism Ireland worked globally to retain existing markets and target new ones. Fáilte Ireland supported businesses, particularly in digital marketing and itinerary planning. The minister mentioned collaboration on capital schemes to adapt to how visitors researched and booked trips. He referenced his visit to a restaurant that morning to discuss a climate toolkit for sustainability and cost management.
Minister Burke outlined priorities including a new accommodation strategy due midway through 2026. This aimed to tackle financing challenges for hotel developments in regional areas and explore equity mechanisms with bodies such as the ISIF. A culinary strategy would also launch mid-year to promote Ireland’s food offerings, from fresh produce and artisan producers to breweries and distilleries, strengthening appeal in competitive European markets.
The minister stressed the tourism initiative currently underway for the Midlands to create a strong tourism product comparable to the Wild Atlantic Way. He expressed excitement about its potential to boost the region.
The government allocated €400m for tourism development and promotion under the Sectoral Capital Plan 2026-2030. This funding covered areas such as strategic air access, product development, and overseas marketing. He praised family-run hotels and their employees for exceptional service and committed to addressing cost pressures to improve viability. The minister affirmed his dedication to the tourism sector as Ireland’s strongest indigenous industry and looked forward to continued collaboration for future success.
The minister outlined key government initiatives that supported the tourism sector and set out future opportunities for expansion and welcomed the government’s commitment to resolve the Dublin Airport passenger cap through legislation.
He described this step as vital to protect air access and sustain growth in tourism and the wider economy. Recent developments showed the cabinet approved the Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026 in early February, which empowered the relevant minister to amend or revoke the 32m annual passenger limit. This addressed long-standing constraints at Dublin Airport, where passenger numbers exceeded the cap in recent years.
Minister Burke highlighted work completed over recent months to build economic resilience when the government introduced a competitive action plan with 85 measures to enhance productivity across the economy. Additional steps included the establishment of a small business unit and efforts to streamline interactions with regulators.
Budget 2026 delivered a VAT reduction on food and catering services to support viability in hospitality and aimed to drive 7pc growth in the sector.
The minister shared that positioning the new national policy within the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to align it with business-oriented goals. He noted that the sector comprised 46,000 businesses and supported 228,000 employees in the Republic of Ireland, with around 300,000 jobs on an all-island basis and that one in ten jobs in rural areas rely on tourism. The strategy focuses on increasing revenue, visitor numbers, and career pathways to attract and retain talent.
Minister Burke shared: “We have done a huge amount of work in reframing the narrative that took hold in the previous five years. Now we are saying we are open for business. Boots are back on the ground with Alice Mansergh and her team at Tourism Ireland right around the globe, going after new markets, retaining the ones we have, and looking for future opportunities.
With Caroline Bocquel and Fáilte Ireland – both of whom are here tonight – we are working hard to support businesses, particularly in the digital space. We will work very closely with the new capital schemes that Fáilte Ireland will have, ensuring we capture how people now seek out, book, and research their itineraries for a visit to Ireland.
We need to ensure that, with the dawn of general-purpose technology and the changes in it, we are present and captured by those search engines. We have a lot of work to do in that space, and we will work hand in glove with businesses.”
