2015

Visitor numbers confirm we are on course for record year in tourism- Doyle

Andrew 2015, Tourism, Wicklow - East Carlow

Andrew Doyle TD, today (Wednesday) welcomed the latest official data on overseas travel from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which showed an increase of 12.5% in overseas visits to Ireland for the first nine months of 2015 compared to the same period of 2014.

Commenting on the data released by the CSO, Doyle said ‘The figures confirm a very strong performance by Irish tourism with all of our main overseas markets continuing to show significant growth. With an additional €2 million for tourism in Budget 2016, which will be used for key elements of Fáilte Ireland’s and Tourism Ireland’s programmes, including for co-operative overseas marketing relevant to Wicklow, Ireland’s Ancient East and the Rugby World Cup 2023 bid. One million euro of this will be allocated towards overseas marketing for the year ahead, bringing the total allocation to just over €35 million next year.

The overall tourism goal of Government is that by 2025, revenue from overseas visitors, excluding carrier receipts, will increase to €5 billion, net of inflation.  We aim to have 10 million visits to Ireland annually by 2025 and that employment in the sector would rise to 250,000.’

Today’s CSO figures on Overseas Travel show:

  • At over 6.64 million visits, overall trips to Ireland were up 12.5% in the first nine months of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014.  For the three-month period from July to September 2015, overseas trips to Ireland increased by 13.5%.
  • Visits from Mainland Europe grew by 13.7% for January to September 2015, to 2,363,900 visits and by 14.6% for the July to September period.
  • North America registered an increase of  13.6% for January – September 2015 (1,209,300 visits) and an increase of  12.3% in the July – September 2015 period;
  • Visits from Great Britain were up by 11.1% for January – September 2015 (2,662,500 visits) and by 13.9% for the three months from July to September 2015 compared to the corresponding period of 2014.
  • Visits from the rest of the world (mostly long-haul and developing markets) totalled 411,400 for the first nine months of 2015 (representing an increase of 11.2%) and increased by 10.0% for the three months from July to September

“I am pleased to note the strong performance in our overseas visitor numbers. In addition expenditure on domestic holidays had increased by 10.6% for the same period. Combined with today’s visitor numbers we can see that our tourism sector is enjoying a great year and the hard work of the tourism industry is paying dividends. This has also been recognised by the recent report carried out by the the Hotel Federation of Ireland

“These latest CSO figures indicate that tourism growing from strength to strength particularly in our key markets. We must focus on continuing to provide visitors with unique experiences and value for money in order to ensure tourism growth continues into 2016 here in County Wicklow and Ireland” concluded Doyle

Fine Gael to equalise tax treatment of self-employed in Wicklow by 2018 – Doyle

Andrew 2015, Finance, Jobs Enterprise Innovation, Wicklow - East Carlow

FG CalcAndrew Doyle TD, has said today (Wednesday) that Fine Gael is determined to equalise the tax treatment of self-employed workers in Wicklow, by 2018.

Doyle was speaking on the launch of Fine Gael’s online tax calculator, which allows everyone who pays income tax or USC to see how they benefit from tax cuts introduced in Budget 2016.

Fine Gael TD for Wicklow, Andrew Doyle, has said that the equalisation of the tax system is great news for all of the self-employed in Wicklow.

“Following the introduction of the new €550 Earned Income Tax Credit in Budget 2016, it’s been confirmed today that Fine Gael will commit to completing the equalisation of the income tax system for the self-employed by 2018, by which time the new credit will match the €1,650 PAYE Tax Credit.

“Small and family businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and have played a crucial role in the recovery that is now well underway. Tax equalisation for the self-employed would allow these businesses continue to grow and create jobs

“I also know that Wicklow businesses wanted to see reductions in the general tax burden to help them to create employment. The significant reduction in the USC, announced in the Budget, will help ensure that every worker in Wicklow and throughout Ireland benefits from the economic recovery that is underway.

“Not only does Budget 2016 put about a week’s earnings on average in the pockets of low and middle-income working families, but it also provides people with a greater incentive to take up more work, to start a business or to take up more overtime.

“Fine Gael is reducing the tax burden on working families. Tax cuts create jobs, they make work pay and they attract migrants home.

“We know that high taxes damage the incentive to work and are a barrier to economic growth. That is why, if returned to Government, Fine Gael will put complete abolition of the USC at the centre of the most radical overhaul of personal taxation in a generation. This is all designed to make work pay, encourage labour force participation and entrepreneurship and keep the recovery going.

“The purpose of the tax calculator, launched today, is that people in Wicklow can log on to the Fine Gael website, enter their details, and see how they benefit from the tax cuts introduced in the budget.”