RENEWED PROGRAMME FOR GOVERNMENT

On Thursday, the Report of the Tourism Renewal Group was published. It recommended that tourism should be more central to economic policy & development (see previous post). However, on Saturday, the publication of the Renewed Programme for Government showed that the opposite continues to be the case. Under the heading' Building the Economy of Tomorrow: Innovation Ireland', the Programme says that three working groups were established to advise on specific action points for the 'Smart Economy' framework (Knowledge Society, the Green Enterprise Action Group and the Innovation Taskforce). There is no tourism representation on any of these groups! Yet a €500 million 'Innovation Fund Ireland' is committed and will be finalised pending the recommendations of the Taskforce. The tourism sector is also excluded from the €100 million Enterprise Stabilisation Fund designed to secure viable but vunerable export-led businesses. Did Alan Joyce and Sir Gerry Robinson not speak about the importance of the sector on The Late Late Show when they were here for the Global Irish Economic Forum? Meanwhile, the proposals for tourism as set out in the renewed programme are weak and do not inspire confidence. A 'transformational new programme'? I don't think so.