Tourism JC 29 June 2001

1.  The third meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) in the Tourism sectoral format was held in the Bushtown House Hotel, Coleraine, on Friday 29 June 2001. Sir Reg Empey, MLA, Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, who chaired the meeting, and Dr Seán Farren, MLA, Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment, represented the Northern Ireland Executive. Dr James McDaid, T.D., Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, represented the Irish Government.

Establishment of North/South Tourism Company

2.  Tourism is an Area for Co-operation under the North/South Ministerial Council. A publicly-owned limited company has been set up to carry out functions aimed at promoting increased tourism to the island of Ireland. The Company, known as Tourism Ireland Ltd., was formally established on 11 December 2000. Mr Andrew Coppel was appointed as Chairperson of the Board, with Ms Ann Riordan as Vice-Chairperson.

3.  Chairperson of Tourism Ireland Ltd., Mr Andrew Coppel, gave the Council a presentation on progress in establishing the Company and its activities to date

4.  The Chairperson reported that the Board of the Company has selected a Chief Executive Officer following an open recruitment process and that an announcement on this appointment would be made shortly. The appointment has already been approved by the NSMC.

5.  Mr Coppel outlined the progress which has been made since the last NSMC meeting in the Tourism sectoral format on 30 March in Letterkenny on the further development of Tourism Brand Ireland (TBI) and the planning of marketing programmes for 2002 by the Company.

6.  The Council conveyed to Mr Coppel its appreciation of his dedication and commitment and that of the other members of the Board in bringing the Company to its current stage of development. They assured him of their continued support in the future and of their desire to see Tourism Ireland Ltd. playing the full role envisaged for it in marketing the island of Ireland as a tourism destination overseas.

Approval of Staffing Structure for Tourism Ireland Ltd.

7.  The Memorandum and Articles of Association establishing Tourism Ireland Ltd. provide that the staffing, structure, staff remuneration, grading, conditions of service and numbers of staff in the Company will be approved by NSMC.

8.  At today's meeting, the Company Board brought forward proposals for a staffing structure for the Company. These proposals cover issues such as remuneration, grading, conditions of service and numbers of staff in the new Company. These were approved by the Council. The staffing and structures agreed will also have to be approved by the Finance Ministers, North and South, and will be reviewed in two years time.

9.  The Company Board submitted an Operating Plan for 2001 to the NSMC for its approval. The Operating Plan focuses on the Board's proposals for getting the company up and running as soon as possible. The main activities planned for 2001 relate to the commencement of operations, the development and launch of Phase II of Tourism Brand Ireland (TBI) and the planning of marketing programmes for 2002. The Operating Plan was approved by the Council subject to finalisation of budgets for the year.

10.  Tourism Ireland Ltd. will have its headquarters in Dublin, with a regional office in Coleraine. The NSMC received a report on progress to date in establishing the Coleraine office. The Council noted progress to date and expressed the wish that the Regional Office should be operational before the end of 2001.

11.  Mr Noel McGinley has recently been appointed to act as Chairman of Bord Fáilte Éireann. The Chairman of Bord Fáilte Éireann and the Chairman of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board are ex officio members of the Board of Tourism Ireland Ltd. The NSMC therefore appointed Mr McGinley as a Director of the Company.

12.  Mr McGinley replaces Mr. Redmond O'Donoghue who has resigned as Chairman of Bord Fáilte Éireann. The Council thanked Mrbe O'Donoghue for his work in establishing the Company and wished him well in the future and looked forward to working with Mr McGinley.

13.  At its meeting in the Tourism Sector in March 2001, the Council had asked for proposals to be developed in a number of key areas to address skills gaps and developmental issues common to both Northern Ireland and the South with the aim of improving quality and building long term competitive advantage.

14.  At today's meeting, the Council discussed a paper that was jointly produced by the Department of Higher and Further Education Training and Employment, Belfast and the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dublin in conjunction with CERT (the Irish Tourism and Hospitality Training Authority).

15.  The paper outlined a number of initiatives, covering areas such as: Joint Management Programmes for Chief Executives, General Managers and Owner/Managers in small to medium sized hotels; an Operational Skills Development Programme to meet the needs of the Micro/SME Sector; and an Exchange Initiative for teachers, industry-based trainers and practitioners. These are currently being developed on a North/South basis by the Department of Higher and Further Education Training and Employment, Belfast, and CERT (the Irish Tourism and Hospitality Training Authority).

16.  The Council gave its formal approval to a number of proposals relating to InterTradeIreland, the North/South Trade and Business Development Implementation Body. The Council noted the Annual Report and Accounts of the Body which will now be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas and the Northern Ireland Assembly. It also gave its approval for the Body to proceed to public consultation on its New Targeting Social Need Action Plan proposals. Finally, the Council gave its approval for the Implementation Plan for the InterTradeIreland proposals on developing the demand and supply of Private Equity.

Date of Next Meeting

17.  The Council agreed that its next meeting in this sectoral format would take place in the South in Autumn 2001.

Joint Secretariat

29 June 2001