From Department of the Taoiseach
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Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin to address event
Dialogue will hear from leading industry experts
Tourism agencies, organisations and interest groups will examine the success of tourism cooperation on the island of Ireland and explore how best to enhance opportunities for domestic and international visitors in the years ahead at the Shared Island Dialogue, “Tourism on the shared island: Building on past success to create a sustainable future”, which takes place tomorrow (Thursday 20 January 2022).
Speaking in advance of the event, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD said:
“The Tourism sector is already a shining example of what can be achieved when we work together on this island, with a shared purpose and for clear mutual benefit.
“Working together, we have been able to harness the natural beauty and tourism potential of the whole island offering exciting experiences for tourists while supporting communities across the length and breadth of the island. Visitors are able to arrive in Dublin and enjoy all that it has to offer, then head North to experience the Titanic, Giant’s Causeway and Game of Thrones sites, before coming back South to visit the Skelligs or Spike Island, with some pit stops along the Wild Atlantic Way to break up the journey.
“Our task is to work in partnership for the full recovery of the tourism sector, North and South, not least by growing sustainable, on-island tourism, which is part of how we can better share the island. Through the Shared Island Fund, the government is already investing in the development of sustainable tourism infrastructure on the island. Funding for the cross-border Ulster Canal and Narrow Water Bridge projects will provide blueways and greenways that will grow sustainable tourism in the central and east border regions.
“We will continue to champion and support the growth of sustainable tourism across the island in the years ahead. Under the revised National Development Plan, the government committed to creating an island-wide greenway network, that will link the Atlantic coast with the Eastern seaboard, and we will work with the Northern Ireland Executive on the development of new large-scale tourism opportunities: from marketing initiatives; to linking up the Wild Atlantic Way with the Causeway Coastal Route, and continuing on to create a coastal tourist trail along our eastern and southern coasts.”
The Dialogue will hear from people working in the tourism sector in Ireland, Northern Ireland and further afield on how enhanced cooperation can build on the successes achieved over the past 20 years. There will also be a focus on future challenges and opportunities for the industry, particularly in the area of sustainable tourism development.
The Shared Island Dialogue series was launched by the Taoiseach in October 2020 as part of the government’s Shared Island initiative, to foster constructive and inclusive dialogue engaging with all communities and traditions on a shared future on the island underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement.
Event programme for the 'Tourism on the Shared Island' Dialogue
Download the PDF here.