Rewriting the Tourism Recipe: Key Takeaways from Ireland’s National Tourism Policy Statement
If you were to awaken some place new in the world, how would you decide where to get your morning coffee? For some, proximity might be the leading priority. If you’ve travelled on a strict budget, maybe cost would be a determining factor. Does the hotel have complimentary coffee, or perhaps your Airbnb host provided a few local recommendations?
Whatever your decision, thousands of similar small choices just like this actively shape the tourism sector each year, contributing to the US$10.9 trillion industry that is reaching its most expansive era yet.
With figures like that in mind, it is no wonder countries around the world are fighting for a slice of such a lucrative pie. Ireland is no stranger to these dynamics; tourism is a key component of the economy and, as detailed in its newly released A New Era for Irish Tourism: National Tourism Policy Statement, it is a sector the Government of Ireland wants to reinforce.
As part of their new strategy, the government has set some ambitious targets for 2031, including increasing total revenue from €9.6 to €14.8 billion, cutting tourism-related emissions by 45%, and prioritizing growth during off-peak seasons and in less-mature travel destinations. It has detailed the many verticals of the tourism industry that will assist in achieving these goals over the next five years, blending historical strengths with contemporary initiatives. Below you’ll find the Irish Canadian Caucus’ five biggest takeaways from the policy statement, exploring the ways in which the sector will evolve in the coming years.
Culinary Tourism
Beyond the expected technocratic buzzwords such as ‘development’ or ‘growth,’ the lexicon of the government’s policy statement reveals an unexpected obsession: food. That word is mentioned a whopping sixty-eight times throughout the document—among the most frequent—revealing a shift in focus by officials toward culinary tourism.
Although cuisine is not typically the top draw for travellers heading to Ireland, the decision to steer tourism in this direction and make it the most salient feature of the policy statement was driven by two primary factors. Firstly, there has been compelling positive feedback from overseas tourists praising their culinary experience on the Emerald Isle, with Fáilte Ireland’s 2024 Visitor Attitudes Survey revealing that four out of five visitors rated the quality of Irish food as “very good.” Validation of Irish cuisine should come as no surprise to those who are familiar with Ireland’s rich history in agriculture and, subsequently, high-quality produce. From fresh seafood to artisan cheese to premium beef, the ingredients used throughout the country are truly some of the best in the world. This is substantiated by The Economist’s comprehensive Global Food Security Index, which ranks Ireland 9th globally for food quality and safety. The superior ingredients found within the country provide a fertile foundation for culinary tourism, especially as diners gradually favour local, healthy, whole food presented in an authentic and simple way. Furthermore, an incredibly rich pool of talented homegrown chefs is rewriting the narrative of Irish fare in the 21st century, so much so that Gordon Ramsay recently called Ireland the sleeping beauty of European cuisine.
While the shift from sightseers to foodies is one informed by positive feedback from visitors, the deciding variable governing the decision is financial. Culinary tourism attracts high-value tourists, and as part of their 2031 policy targets, the government is keen on capturing these individuals to ensure they reach their revenue goals by the turn of the decade. Aside from these targets, culinary tourism has the capacity to boost domestic travel, serve as a powerful draw for rural areas of the country, and broaden the seasonal distribution of visitors beyond the months of June to September—where 50% of revenue is currently concentrated. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in food and hospitality also generate substantial employment compared to other industries given their higher staff-to-guest ratios. This directly aligns with the government’s efforts to expand tourism employment to 250,000 by 2031.
Now, with an evidence-based decision in hand, the government has outlined ways to bolster this segment of the tourism industry. Most notably, a reduction in the Value Added Tax (VAT) for food and catering services will become effective on July 1, 2026, decreasing from 13.5% to 9%. This will ease the financial burden for a hospitality sector that has seen escalating inflationary pressures since the COVID-19 pandemic.
All new Destination & Experience Development Plans (DEDPs), unique tourism strategies crafted for localities across the country, will now include a focus on food. These DEDPs will feature a “detailed analysis of each destination’s food offering,” while introducing food trails as a “structured way to explore regional culture through cuisine.” Tourism Ireland will round out the support for culinary tourism by engaging in overseas publicity, strategic partnerships, and digital campaigns, ensuring food and drink “feature more prominently in travel trade itineraries.”
With a clear direction, firm government backing, and the data to support this vision, Ireland seems to possess all the ingredients necessary for a culinary success story. Expect to see food becoming an increasingly integral part of Ireland’s global brand in the years to come.
Regional Redistribution
As expected, the distribution of tourism revenue is concentrated in certain areas of the country. Based on figures from Fáilte Ireland’s 2024 National Survey, which categorizes tourism revenue by the agency’s four regional brands, Dublin and the Wild Atlantic Way (covering the west of Ireland) accounted for more than three-quarters of earnings generated by overseas tourists. Ireland’s Ancient East, comprising the counties immediately surrounding Dublin and the southeast of the island, brought in just shy of 20%, while Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, in the centre of the country, represented less than 5%. The figures for domestic tourism reveal, unsurprisingly, a substantial contraction in Dublin’s share of revenue, with the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Ancient East claiming most of the difference. Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands remained the lowest-ranked region, registering a share of just 9%.
Share of Tourism Revenue (%)
A long-term priority for the government is to spread the benefit of tourism nationwide and see less-mature destinations outpace the growth of traditional tourism hubs. The areas that are of particular focus are Ireland's Hidden Heartlands and, more specifically, Ireland's Midlands (these two regions overlap significantly and together form much of the country’s rural centre, though exact geographical boundaries vary by administrative body). Many of the sections within the policy statement revisit this objective, with promoting culinary tourism, improving seasonal distribution of visitors, or climate adaptation and sustainability all having these less-mature destinations at the periphery of their respective goals. There are also more explicit acknowledgments, such as the pending update to the Rural Future policy statement to 2030, which will incorporate revisions related to tourism and its role in a thriving rural Ireland.
Furthermore, the EU Just Transition Fund will have a direct impact on Ireland’s Midlands, with a mandate to address the “employment, economic, social and environmental changes that come with the shift away from carbon-intense activities.” The areas identified under the fund are those that have been “particularly affected by the ending of peat extraction for energy production” and include counties Laois, Longford, Offaly, Roscommon, and Westmeath, as well as the municipal districts of Ballinasloe (Co. Galway), Athy and Clane-Maynooth (Co. Kildare), and Carrick-on-Suir and Thurles (Co. Tipperary). These regions will benefit from the €38 million under Regenerative Tourism business supports and €30 million for a new Tourism Trails Network delivered as part of the program.
As the government notes, “these investments will prioritise securing a greater regional spread of tourists, particularly to less mature tourism destinations.” Success will hinge on the collaboration between national and local bodies, with the former providing the necessary infrastructure to level the playing field with established hubs like Dublin, and the latter offering services and experiences that visitors desire.
Artificial Intelligence
Right next door to the Irish Embassy in Ottawa lies the headquarters of Shopify, one of Canada’s most valuable companies. Boasting over 8,000 employees, the global leader in e-commerce provides services to over 5 million online stores, including large multinationals such as PepsiCo and Whole Foods. Recently, the technology giant has championed artificial intelligence (AI), integrating this tool to optimize its operations. Their shift made headlines as the company performed some organization-wide restructuring and, in an internal memo sent to employees early last year, CEO Tobias Lütke underscored the urgency of adopting the technology, noting, “Frankly, I don't think it's feasible to opt out of learning the skill of applying AI in your craft; you are welcome to try, but I want to be honest I cannot see this working out today, and definitely not tomorrow.” Beyond the pros and cons of AI, and the balancing act governments face in regulating the space without stifling innovation, Lütke’s concluding sentiment is one all can agree upon: it is inevitable.
As part of their policy statement, the government recognizes this inevitability, and it has shaped much of their approach to tourism success with AI in mind. The transition reflects mounting evidence of AI’s influence on tourism across multiple fronts. On the demand side, a recent Tourism Ireland study revealed that while four out of five visitors handled their holiday research and booking online, over 30% of overseas audiences have employed generative AI to craft their trip itineraries.
On the supply side, the government is looking to enhance business capabilities for SMEs nationwide, leveraging Ireland’s four European Digital Innovation Hubs, which offer technical expertise and training. There are also the Digital for Business Program and the Grow Digital Voucher, both providing advisory and financial support to companies in adopting digital tools, including AI. These resources will not only strengthen efficiency, customer engagement, and predictive analytics—all of which allow organizations that intersect with tourism to offer a richer experience—but can also deliver strategies for Generative Engine Optimization to ensure businesses surface as top recommendations when tourists are engaging with AI to plan their travel.
The transition toward an AI-assisted world is well underway, and the policy statement outlines how essential adoption is for remaining competitive in the global landscape of tourism. While not every stakeholder needs to adopt the technology at the pace Lütke requires of his employees, the earlier the industry embraces AI, the fewer ‘growing pains’ it will face in the years to come.
Sporting Events
The list of major sporting events that have taken place in Ireland in recent years is quite extensive. Between 2003 and 2024, the island hosted the Special Olympics, Ryder Cup, Women’s Rugby World Cup, and UEFA Europa League Final (twice). In the years to come, Ireland will once again host the Ryder Cup (2027), co-host the UEFA EURO 2028 tournament with the United Kingdom, and, along with England and Scotland, host the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup in 2030. The country has also capitalized on the popularity of American football, hosting four consecutive collegiate-level games at Aviva Stadium since 2022 (with another two slated for 2026 and 2027), along with the first-ever regular-season National Football League fixture in Dublin this past year.
As noted in the policy statement, sport is a core pillar of the tourism industry in Ireland, often attracting “high yield, and high net-worth” visitors throughout the calendar year. Using golf as an example, an increasingly important component of sport tourism, Fáilte Ireland estimates that the country receives over 220,000 international tourists each year primarily for this activity, with direct revenues reaching €300 million. These individuals tend to “stay longer and spend more than the average tourist, supporting local businesses and extending the tourism season.” Recreational activities can also be added to the ever-expanding list of sport tourism, with walking and hiking drawing approximately two million overseas travellers each year, and a noticeable rise in water-based sports such as boating and kayaking adding another dimension to this specific vertical of the industry.
The government aims to further capitalize on international sporting events as critical economic drivers of the industry, working with relevant bodies to “maximize tourism opportunities associated with [its] unique sporting offerings.” The government also noted it had launched its first-ever International Sports Diplomacy Framework in 2025, outlining the necessary steps to position the country as a sporting nation on the global stage. And while this specific framework does mention Ireland’s Gaelic games extensively—albeit in the context of the diaspora and the more than 500 Gaelic Athletic Association clubs abroad—they were noticeably absent from the National Tourism Policy Statement itself.
It is true the Gaelic games do not generate the immediate, high-volume earnings associated with hosting major international tournaments, but encouraging overseas tourists to experience the unique, fast-paced indigenous sports of Ireland could offer considerable long-term benefits. It provides the opportunity to foster lifelong engagement, generating recurring tourism revenue across many regions in a way that is not dependent on Dublin’s administrative, diplomatic, and financial ability to secure the rights to host global sporting events. With only one mention in the policy statement, it is clear a deeper analysis is needed on Ireland’s Gaelic games and their potential value to the tourism industry. This would help ensure the appeal and economic viability of indigenous sports are not overlooked for what appears to be, on the surface, more lucrative international spectacles.
Despite this observation, the government has a clear, intentional strategy to continue leveraging sport to bolster the tourism sector and attract more visitors to Ireland. Goals, points, tries, and birdies, while entertaining for spectators, translate directly into euros for businesses nationwide, justifying why sports continue to occupy significant real estate in tourism policy.
Visitor Composition
Historically, the government and tourism agencies have gravitated to international travellers over native holidaymakers; however, the recent policy statement reflects a heightened recognition of the domestic sector—a segment that generated €3.6 billion in 2024. This represented an increase of 15% year-over-year, with domestic travel accounting for over 30% of total tourism revenue according to the latest figures. While this share is noteworthy, the belief among officials is that there is meaningful room for growth, as the total amount spent by Irish residents travelling abroad currently exceeds the amount spent by overseas visitors within Ireland. Convincing even a sliver of those 13.7 million outbound overnight trips to opt for a weekend in Kerry over Mallorca would have a fundamental impact on the tourism industry.
Five years ago, domestic holidays witnessed a surge in popularity thanks to COVID-19 travel restrictions; yet while that period of time introduced—or re-introduced—many to the beauty of the island, the next decade will be defined by how the government and its agencies persuade residents to holiday domestically in the absence of grounded flights and social distancing. Initiatives that have been discussed throughout this article are some of the many examples of what the government will employ to fill that gap.
Moving to the bread and butter of Irish tourism, Ireland hosted 6.9 million overseas visitors in 2024, accounting for more than two-thirds of tourism revenue (€7.6 billion*). The United States and Canada accounted for the largest share of this figure, at €2.2 billion, and were the only one of Fáilte Ireland’s four overseas geographic groupings to realize double-digit growth in revenue between 2023 and 2024 (at 19%). Another traditional stronghold of Irish tourism, Great Britain, rose by 9% during this same period, while Mainland Europe realized an 8% gain. The Rest of the World region (which encompasses Africa, Asia, Oceania, South America, and the remaining parts of North America) produced a decrease in revenue of 3%. However, despite this dip, the government remains sanguine about the long-term potential of this category as it looks to diversify its tourism base and dedicate more resources to emerging markets in the Gulf and Asia. Part of the challenge will be developing air connectivity with those areas of the world where historical infrastructure and demand have not previously existed.
Even as such regions present tremendous opportunities, the most established markets of Irish tourism, the United States and Great Britain, continue to deliver consistent, reliable euros to the economy. The government notes it would like to deepen and defend these hotspots and leverage the diaspora moving forward to unlock the full potential of these countries. Surprisingly, the policy statement fails to mention two nations that have seen notable waves of Irish migrants in recent years: Australia and Canada, the latter of which recorded a 22% increase in the number of visitors to Ireland between 2023 and 2024, nearly triple the growth from the US and nine times that from Great Britain.
By keeping domestic holidaymakers home, shifting the composition of overseas visitors to include emerging markets, and refining its approach to existing international strongholds, the government believes it will be better positioned to achieve its 2031 policy targets. Monitoring these trends and implementing adjustments are key to reducing the risk of overdependence on any one country or region, thereby strengthening the resilience of Ireland’s tourism sector.
Rich in culture, steeped in history, with endless natural beauty, it is no wonder visitors have been captivated by the island for so long. These timeless draws have attracted millions of people from around the world, making tourism a vital piece of the Irish economy. However, what has changed over time is the level of competition for market share in a progressively global industry, creating an environment in which stakeholders constantly have to adapt to ensure success.
A New Era for Irish Tourism: National Tourism Policy Statement across its more than eighty pages, details the current blueprint for this perpetual fine-tuning. While this article includes the five biggest takeaways, there is much more to explore, including accommodation challenges, airport passenger limits, environmental objectives, and collaboration between Irish and Northern Irish bodies. Ultimately, this extensive policy statement serves as a roadmap that is contingent on collective action, but it is reassuring that Ireland, with its many unique attributes, is already one step ahead.
*Figure includes all carrier receipts; excludes direct tourism revenue from Northern Ireland.