NO NEW TOURISM INITIATIVES IN THE ACTION PLAN FOR JOBS

Following the launch of the government's Action Plan for Jobs 2012, the actions set out for tourism simply re-state what was in the programme for government last year. This is very disappointing and in sharp contrast to the strategic actions the government is taking in other sectors. For example in manufacturing, the government will -

• Develop a long term vision and strategic plan for the sector
• Establish a Manufacturing Development Forum to assist it in identifying the needs of manufacturing enterprises and to progress a transformation agenda
• Examine the financial supports for manufacturing in the context of negotiations on EU State Aids
• Evaluate the supports provided for in-company research and innovation
• Target investment in higher education and other public research into areas of direct relevance to the enterprise base
• Undertake a detailed assessment of manufacturing skills needs to address both the immediate and longer term needs of the sector

Notable initiatives for other sectors include -

• the development of a national strategy for the construction sector
• the implementation of a cross-departmental plan to develop the green economy
• the establishment of a Health Innovation Hub to drive collaboration between the health system and the life sciences industry
• the establishment of a Cloud Computing Technology Research Centre to support industry-led research and innovation

The actions proposed for manufacturing are exactly what is needed to strategically develop the Irish tourism sector. Clearly, the tourism industry has not been as adept as other sectors in making its case.