Minister for Tourism Peter Burke tabled a fresh Tourism Policy Framework 2025-2030 before Cabinet. The 61-point document landed on government desks while World Travel Market closed was under way in London. The proposal cleared initial review and now awaits full Dáil debate scheduled for 12 November.
Fáilte Ireland will measure tourism emissions baseline by March 2026. Shorter action plans must follow with cuts of 60 per cent in carbon per bed night by 2030. Revenue from overseas and domestic visitors must rise 5.6 per cent each year to push total spend past 9 billion euro by decade end. Year-round jobs in every county form the third pillar.
A Tourism Leadership Group meets for the first time on 20 November. Members include departmental secretaries, agency heads, local authority chiefs and industry representatives. The group will score progress against metrics and report to the minister every quarter.
Hotel Federation Ireland welcomed the revenue target but demanded matching cuts in employer PRSI. Airlines called for immediate lift of the Dublin Airport passenger cap to unlock €1.2bn in investment. Green Party spokespersons sought ring-fenced funds for peatland restoration along tourist trails. Surf schools asked for insurance relief. Island ferries requested fuel subsidies.
Regional spread dominates the text. Wild Atlantic Way upgrades receives €45m and Ireland’s Ancient East €32m. Dublin city centre gets zero new beds under dispersal clauses.
Public consultation closed in April 2025 with 1,840 submissions. Farmers objected to visitor pressure on working lands.
Cabinet sources said the framework replaces the 2015 policy that expired last year. No dissenting voices emerged in yesterday’s meeting. Taoiseach Simon Harris described tourism as the state’s largest indigenous employer and pledged cross-department delivery.
Implementation starts 1 January 2026. The first action plan covers 2026-2028 and must reach the minister’s desk by Budget Day next October.
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