82. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment their proposals to increase the number of overnight, multi-night regional stays in areas currently predominantly served by day-trips. [66919/26]

The Programme for Government commits the Government to working with Fáilte Ireland to spread tourism more evenly across the regions. This includes further developing and promoting Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, Ireland’s Ancient East, the Wild Atlantic Way and Dublin, while encouraging longer visitor stays.  To convert more day trips into overnight and multi-night stays, I have announced a coordinated set of structural, spatial and target-led measures. These are being delivered primarily through the national policy framework, A New Era for Irish Tourism, and the recently launched Fáilte Ireland Corporate Strategy 2026–2029.

In July, I chaired the inaugural meeting of the Tourism Policy Oversight Group, established to oversee implementation of 'A New Era for Irish Tourism'. This was an important milestone in delivering the policy. The Group will provide strategic oversight of delivery, monitor progress against the Policy's 71 objectives and associated targets, including measures designed to improve regional dispersal and encourage visitors to spend more time across Ireland's destinations.

A central priority of the Fáilte Ireland Corporate Strategy is to strengthen the competitiveness, productivity and resilience of tourism businesses. Through enhanced enterprise supports, skills development, data and insights, and expanded digital and artificial intelligence programmes, Fáilte Ireland will help businesses improve performance and visibility, convert demand into bookings and encourage longer visitor stays through the development of high-quality visitor experiences.

The strategy also provides for a new Culinary Tourism Strategy and an Outdoor Ireland programme to strengthen Ireland’s tourism offering. Building on our strengths in food, drink and outdoor experiences, these initiatives will give visitors compelling reasons to travel, stay longer and explore destinations across the country.

Fáilte Ireland is also continuing to work with local authorities and tourism stakeholders through Destination and Experience Development Plans to develop compelling destination propositions, improve the visitor experience and encourage visitors to extend their stay. These plans identify opportunities to develop attractions, experiences and supporting infrastructure that increase dwell time and tourism spend within local communities.

Festivals and events also play an important role in driving overnight stays and extending the tourism season. Through Fáilte Ireland's investment in festivals and events, including support for food festivals and strategically important tourism events, visitors are encouraged to stay longer, explore local destinations and contribute to regional economies throughout the year. In March, I announced €933,250 in combined festival funding through Fáilte Ireland, including a new dedicated €310,000 Food Festival Fund. Allocated to local authorities, this funding will strengthen regional food festivals, showcase local culinary strengths and support regional tourism.

Finally, Fáilte Ireland’s Find Yourself on a Short Break campaign highlights the depth, diversity and quality of experiences available nationwide—from cultural and city breaks to nature-based escapes. By encouraging people who already take short breaks to take them more often throughout the year, the campaign supports off-peak demand, competitiveness and a more balanced regional distribution of tourism, strengthening the sector’s long-term resilience and regional contribution.