41. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the actions his Department is taking to address tourism capacity constraints, including accommodation shortages and infrastructure pressures in key tourism regions; and the extent to which the new National Tourism Policy Statement will support sustainable growth in both peak and off-peak seasons. [66779/26]

In December 2025, I published the new National Tourism Policy Statement, A New Era for Irish Tourism, establishing a clear framework for competitive, sustainable, and regionally balanced growth through to 2031. As a result of this strategy, I am progressing a range of measures to address pressures experienced by the tourism sector. These measures include:

1. Ensuring the regulatory process is fit for purpose:

To ensure the regulatory framework remains fit for purpose, I am currently reviewing the tourist accommodation registration system. The forthcoming Short-Term Letting and Tourism (STLT) Bill will introduce a new register for short-term letting accommodation and will update provisions for existing registers to ensure the framework is suitable for modern day needs.

To further strengthen the tourist accommodation data framework this year, a statutory register for all Short-Term Letting (STL) accommodation will be introduced in December. This measure will significantly enhance transparency and visibility across the full accommodation spectrum, ensuring a more complete and robust dataset to inform tourism policy and investment decisions in rural, urban, island and emerging tourism destinations.

The introduction of the register will provide, for the first time, a comprehensive and authoritative picture of the short-term letting (STL) market and the number of properties operating in the sector. Once operational, the register will serve as the primary source of STL data helping to identify accommodation capacity trends and supporting more informed decision making to address emerging pressures in key tourism regions.

2. Development of a Tourism Accommodation Strategy:

The forthcoming Tourist Accommodation Strategy, a key commitment under A New Era for Irish Tourism, will provide a clear framework to ensure that Ireland continues to offer a competitive, high-quality tourism experience. This Strategy will establish a clear framework to strengthen, diversify, and expand Ireland’s accommodation offering.

As part of the preparation of the Strategy, I launched a public consultation in April that invited views from members of the public, stakeholders, and all interested parties. I am happy to report that there was significant engagement with the consultation, with a total of 299 responses received.

My officials are currently finalising two reports providing a comprehensive overview of the views expressed during the consultation process and which will be published on my Department’s website shortly. The first report contains the detailed survey results, including responses and percentage breakdowns, while the second report provides an overview of the key findings and key themes arising from the analysis.

The insights gathered in these reports will contribute to the evidence base underpinning the development of the Tourist Accommodation Strategy to help ensure Ireland has sufficient, diverse and dispersed, high-quality accommodation to best meet future demand.

Following the publication of these Reports, my Department will continue to advance the drafting of the Strategy. This process will include further targeted engagement with key sector stakeholders as required. It is intended that the Strategy will examine how to best address seasonal pressures, enhance Ireland’s competitiveness as a visitor destination, and strengthen positive community outcomes.

3. Monitoring existing capacity and pipeline:

Access to robust, reliable and comprehensive data is essential for effective policy development and long-term planning. To support the sustainable growth of the tourist accommodation sector, Fáilte Ireland has developed a Capacity and Pipeline Monitor to track movement in tourism accommodation capacity. This strategic tool tracks existing capacity and monitors development projects as they progress through the planning, construction and delivery stages.

The monitor supports early identification of potential supply pressures, provides insight into regional and sectoral trends, and supports evidence-based decision-making by policymakers and industry stakeholders. Findings are published twice yearly through Fáilte Ireland’s Tourist Accommodation Outlook report, helping to inform policy responses and investment decisions aimed at ensuring sufficient accommodation capacity to meet future tourism demand.

4. Improving tourism data and insights

To support the implementation of A New Era for Irish Tourism, a number of workstreams have been established under the Tourism Policy Oversight Group. One of these strands is the Data and Insights Stream, which brings together key stakeholders to strengthen the evidence base underpinning the national tourism policy.

The Data and Insights Stream is focused on enhancing the quality, availability, and use of tourism data and insights. It will examine opportunities to improve data on tourism capacity and occupancy, supporting more effective research, analysis, and evidence-based decision-making.

The first meeting under this workstream took place on 29 July 2026. Its establishment represents an important step in ensuring that tourism policy is informed by robust evidence, supporting sustainable growth and the long-term competitiveness of Ireland's tourism sector.