Reconnecting with our diaspora will be an essential strand of a new tourism project which will be tasked with attracting international tourists to Ireland, local senator Aisling Dolan has said.
Senator Dolan said the Global Invitation Programme will aim to stimulate international demand and features as a recommendation of the Tourism Recovery Plan 2020-2023.
She said that it is crucial that we engage with families and people with Irish connections living abroad.
“There is a wealth of goodwill for Ireland and now is the time to ask for that boost for 2023,” Senator Dolan explained.
The Fine Gael senator said the Irish tourism sector continues to emerge from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, but this year will be the third anniversary of the pandemic, and to that end, plans to boost the sector’s recovery continue.
“€5 million was allocated to the conceptual development process of the Global Invitation Programme in 2022, with a further €15 million being allocated in Budget 2023 for the Programme and international marketing,” she said.
“The Global Invitation Programme will highlight what Ireland has become renowned for all over the world; the warmth of our welcome, the beauty of our landscape and the richness of our culture.
“Reaching out to our diaspora should underpin this new programme – particularly when one considers that many Irish people now living overseas have not yet had the opportunity to visit home since the pandemic first started.”
