AN BORD SNIP NUA - TOURISM PROPOSALS

The Report suggests:

• Discontinuation of the Department of Arts, Sports & Tourism in its own right
• Tourism activities could transfer to the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment
• The 2009 tourism programme allocation of €153 million be reduced by €27 million per annum as follows: A) Fáilte Ireland's funding to be cut by €15 million, B) The Tourism Marketing Fund be reduced by €12 million
• The Arts & Culture programmes to be cut by €37 million
• Fáilte Ireland should refocus on marketing activities
• Replacement of some 'third tier' Tourism Information Offices should be facilitated by modern IT solutions
• Staff reductions of up to 60 are suggested in Fáilte Ireland together with significant improvements in administration efficiency
• Tourism Ireland's overseas offices could be shared with Enterprise Ireland, The IDA and An Bord Bia

Proposals in other areas which impact on tourism -

• Public Service Obligation Payments for regional air services to be discontinued
• Regional Airport Management Operational Grants Scheme to be abolished
• Bus Éireann to be sold
• Regional roads to be assigned to the NRA
• Road maintenance to be cut by €20 million
• Road pricing to be introduced
• Lightly used rail lines to be closed
• Western Rail Corridor development to stop
• The National Parks and Wildlife Service & The Environmental Protection Agency to be reviewed by the The Department of the Environment, Heritage & Natural Resources.
• Operations of Coillte to be reviewed and possibly privatised
• Number of local authorities to be reduced
• Shannon Development to be abolished
• Gaeltacht Improvement Schemes to be wound down over a two year period
• Spending on infrastructure for islands to be cut by €20 million
• Enterprise support and export promotion functions at An Bord Bia and An Bord Iascaigh Mhara to be transferred to Enterprise Ireland
• Enterprise Ireland to be expanded significantly
• Rural Area Protection Scheme (REPS) to be abolished
• Responsibility for inland fisheries to be transferred from the Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government rather than the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism
• Skillnets funding to be discontinued
• DIT to amalgamate with IT Tallaght and IT Blanchardstown
• Grangegorman Development Agency to be discontinued with the option of consolidating DIT on lands at the Institute of Technology Tallaght

Plenty for the sector to absorb - departmental status, policy impacts, planning, transport, environment, enterprise development, marketing, visitor servicing and education & training!