Debate contribution: All-Ireland Tourism

Debate contribution by Ms Sinéad McLaughlin on 18 June 2024.

MLA

Ms Sinéad McLaughlin

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

18 June 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

All-Ireland Tourism

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4497246

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I beg to move

I am pleased to move the motion on all-Ireland tourism. For the past 26 years, tourism has driven higher employment, productivity and better well-being for so many people. In 2019, the sector contributed over £1 billion in revenue. Prior to the pandemic, it employed almost 71,000 people in the region, which is an increase of 9% since 2017. We have a huge opportunity to work together as an island to build on that, including by extending the already successful Wild Atlantic Way brand into Northern Ireland. Since I was elected, I have been making the case for the extension of the Wild Atlantic Way and, importantly, the promotion of Derry as the regional capital that links our two jurisdictions. I am also happy to confirm our support for the Sinn Féin amendment on the inclusion of Counties Fermanagh and Tyrone in Ireland's Hidden Heartlands. Supporting the integration and inclusion of those brands is not diluting our own tourism brands, as each region will continue to promote its own tourism assets, from the lakes of Fermanagh to the walls of Derry, the glens of Antrim, the Mountains of Mourne and many other beautiful places in between. I have to be honest and say that, when I pressed departmental officials at the Economy Committee a few weeks ago about the integration of those globally recognised Irish brands, I was surprised to hear about the slow pace of progress. This concept has been discussed for many years, but I see no evidence of an action plan on linking those brands or of costings for signage, for example, which will be fairly significant. We all know the benefit of linking up those routes, so let us get on with it to attract people to that part of our island so that they can see our integrated offering. In Newry, Mourne and Down, my colleagues have been campaigning for the inclusion of Counties Armagh and Down in Ireland's Ancient East. Bringing those counties into the brand could drive exponential growth in the tourism industry. However, it is not only a vehicle for economic growth: including Armagh and Down in Ireland's Ancient East is a vehicle for reconciliation. Given the enormous shared history of those counties for both major traditions on this island, the potential for telling our shared story to the world through an increased tourism offering cannot be overestimated. I hope that we can make progress at pace on the expansion of those brands. There is also so much more that we can do for the sector as a whole. If we invest, we can grow it to be at least a £2 billion industry by 2030. However, we all know that the all-island tourism market faces significant challenges, not least in the form of the electronic travel authorisation scheme. Dublin Airport remains the biggest port of entry for most visitors to this part of the island. The proposal threatens that mobility and represents an existential challenge to the sector in some areas. The scheme, which is estimated to result in a loss of more than £160 million per year, is both flawed and misguided. It could have been dreamt up only by a Tory Government that lack knowledge and understanding of this island. Research has shown, in black and white, that that would discourage people from moving North to South, and the sector as a whole has been sounding the alarm. The Minister needs to work with the whole Executive to agree a position against the ETA. We do not feel able to support the DUP amendment, which would snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. A time-bound exemption to the electronic travel authorisation scheme would not solve the problem; it would only lead to confusion on the part of our visitors. The full roll-out of the scheme by early 2025 must be stopped, and we are asking for a statement on progress on the issue by no later than September this year. While I understand that the Minister has written to the Home Office Ministers on that, we cannot keep on just writing letters. Hopefully, a new Government in Westminster will be more receptive to his engagement. I want to see the plan from the Minister and concrete actions. Finally, I urge the Minister to progress the development and funding of the tourism strategy and the action plan to go alongside it. While the Minister's new partnership board is welcome, we need to see long-awaited delivery to support our communities and their potential by building on the progress of the past 26 years —

— and making investments that are worthy of the sector's potential.

777 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:38 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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