Debate contribution: North-South Ministerial Council: Tourism

Debate contribution by Dr Caoimhe Archibald on 6 May 2025.

MLA

Dr Caoimhe Archibald

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

6 May 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Ministerial Statements

Heading

North-South Ministerial Council: Tourism

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4929318

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I share the Member's concern. It is something that I been active on since I came into post, as was my predecessor. The issue with the ETA is its potential to disincentivise tourism in the North, particularly among visitors who come to the South and want to travel north. It can also be seen as a potential barrier for overseas visitors when they are planning their trips. Tourism has grown substantially here in recent years, and there is considerable potential for further growth. We all share the ambition to promote that, but the ETA is a rather big fly in the ointment.

I see tourism as a key priority, and, as you mentioned, 67% of our overseas visitors come via the South. Therefore, I have been making representations to the British Government, as you would expect me to, and I have asked for a meeting with the relevant Minister from the Home Office. I hope that that meeting will be forthcoming in the near future.

That is an issue that I have expressed real concern over, and there is potential for the South to reduce its VAT further. That is concerning to those in the hospitality and tourism sectors, so we have made representations to the British Government, and I have engaged with colleagues on the impact on a North/South basis. I, along with the Finance Minister, will keep that issue on the agenda, and it was reflected very strongly by the business community. I met some tourism providers in Fermanagh, and it was a key concern that they expressed, so I will continue to raise that issue in all my engagements.

I thank the Member for the question. The business plan has been completed in accordance with agreed guidance issued by both Departments with responsibility for public expenditure. The business plan focuses on increasing the value of overseas tourism to Ireland by 5·6% per year on average over the next six years until 2030. Within that, there is an enhanced target of 6·5% revenue growth on average each year for the North specifically, and that recognises the upward potential ahead. Sustainability remains at the heart of the business plan for 2025, with a focus on sustainably supporting economies, communities and the environment whilst inspiring visitors to come to the island. Tourism Ireland will continue to focus on higher revenue per carbon markets, with a commitment to more sustainable tourism supported by a dedicated slow tourism, environmentally friendly itinerary.

I thank the Member for her question. Obviously, we only became aware last week that, unfortunately, the National Trust did not feel that it could continue with the project. It will be for councils, in the first instance, to bring forward other proposals and to work as part of the Belfast region city deal group to bring forward proposals as to how to utilise the funding that is available to it. As a Department, we will support the group in those efforts.

I thank the Member for his question. That is a focus that is being brought by Tourism Ireland in its work, and there is significant interest from consumers, as you would expect, when they are making their plans to travel, in looking at the potential impact on the environment. More and more people are trying to assess that as they are making their plans. That is also reflected in the tourism vision and action plan that the Department has brought forward and developed in partnership with the industry here in the North. I am happy to write to the Member with some more detail on the specific actions in that plan.

I thank the Member for his question. Tourism here and across the island has grown substantially in recent years, and there is considerable potential for further growth. As I mentioned already, Tourism Ireland is targeting an average of 5·6% revenue growth for overseas tourism year-on-year to 2030 and, specifically for the North, a target of 6·5% year-on-year growth. With ambitions for the longer term, Tourism Ireland envisages that it can double overseas tourism, specifically to the North, to £1·3 billion by 2035. The year 2025 will be a really important one for golf, with the Open taking place at Portrush this summer, bringing thousands of visitors and showcasing our beautiful landscape to 500 million households across 150 countries. Partnerships to promote the destination at scale overseas are under way with the media. In 2023, spend by overseas visitors to the North had reached £672 million, demonstrating recovery compared with 2019, pre COVID, of 15%. The majority of tourism spend in the North is sourced from incoming overseas visitors, at about 56%. Of the 70,000 tourism jobs across the North, around six out of 10 depend on overseas tourism. Tourism is one of the largest shared indigenous industries across the island. With 70% of tourism jobs outside Belfast or Dublin, it is a crucial economic driver for our rural communities.

I thank the Member for his question. The changes to the memorandum and articles of association in the constitution were in line with Irish company law, as they had not been updated since Tourism Ireland's inception. The impact of that is purely administrative, such as updating the names of relevant organisations where they had changed. For example, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board changed to Tourism NI. It was changes like that. The only operational impact relates to how the board meetings can be called or held to allow for electronic notification and for meetings to be held by video or online. The capacity review aims to evaluate and enhance the current operational structure, resources, capabilities and effectiveness of Tourism Ireland. The review will consider staffing levels, structure, locations and the skills base of the teams. It is important to note that any recommendations in relation to the outcome of that review will come back to the NSMC for approval if they fall under its remit.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:25 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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