ITIC Urges Leaders to Grasp Opportunity Ireland's EU Presidency Offers Tourism

In the run-up to its 2026 Annual Conference in the Convention Centre Dublin, early next month, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) has outlined the ways Ireland’s EU Presidency – over the course of the second half of this year – can help the country’s inbound tourism offering.

"The Presidency will bring Europe to Ireland. The opportunity for Irish tourism is to give Europe a reason to come back," ITIC said in its report.

"Ireland’s six-month EU Presidency Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union gives the country something every tourism destination competes hard to secure - attention. For six months, ministers, officials, business leaders and media from across Europe will travel throughout Ireland for meetings, conferences and the wider programme of activity that comes with an EU Presidency.

"Ireland’s Presidency is, first and foremost, about advancing Ireland’s priorities in Europe. For tourism, the task now is to make sure the sector is not simply a beneficiary of the next six months, but an active participant in them. That means using Presidency activity to connect visitors with Ireland’s regions and experiences, while also making the case for the competitiveness, connectivity and capacity the industry needs to grow."

"Tourism needs a voice in the European conversation. Tourism should not sit at the margins of Ireland’s Presidency agenda. Many of the decisions that determine whether the sector can grow competitively, from transport and connectivity to sustainability, labour policy and regulation, are shaped at European level. Ireland’s Presidency gives the industry an opportunity not only to present the country as a compelling destination, but to ensure that the practical realities of tourism are understood in European policymaking," ITIC said.

"As Ireland’s largest indigenous industry and one of its biggest regional employers, tourism has a particular interest in what we do with those six months. The sector is worth €11.2bn annually and employs 230,000 people nation-wide. Around 70% of tourism employment is outside Dublin, with visitors supporting hotels, restaurants, pubs, attractions, retailers and activity providers in communities across the country. That gives the sector a strong claim to be part of the wider Presidency agenda, particularly where European decisions on connectivity, infrastructure, sustainability and competitiveness will shape the conditions for tourism growth long after the six months are over.

"There is also a useful historical parallel. Ireland last held the EU Presidency in 2013, the same year as The Gathering, when a national tourism initiative was translated into thousands of local events around the country. The context today is very different, but the underlying lesson remains relevant: moments of concentrated international attention can create wider tourism value when they are deliberately connected to places, communities and experiences.

"The Presidency should therefore be used to make the case for a European policy environment that supports tourism growth: one that strengthens connectivity, enables investment, recognises the realities facing SMEs and treats tourism infrastructure as part of Europe’s wider competitiveness agenda."

"One of the lessons from 2013 when Ireland last had the EU Presidency is that national moments become tourism moments when they are translated locally. The Gathering was built around thousands of events across the country, giving communities a direct role in attracting and hosting visitors. The Presidency is a very different proposition, but the principle still applies: the value of the moment will depend on how effectively it connects visiting Europeans with the places and experiences that make Ireland memorable.

"That matters all the more because the way people choose destinations has changed so quickly. A restaurant in Dublin can appear overnight in a video watched by millions; a walk in Connemara, a food market in Cork or an attraction in the Midlands can reach somebody in France or Germany who may never previously have considered Ireland. Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland have already recognised that shift, with digital content and creator partnerships increasingly complementing traditional destination marketing."

ITIC said: "The Presidency adds a different kind of advantage. For six months, much of that audience is already here. The opportunity is to turn a work trip into a wider experience of Ireland: another night, another county, a return visit or a recommendation passed on afterwards. Food, culture, landscapes, hospitality and distinctive local experiences all have a role in making that happen. But the opportunity is not only about what visiting Europeans experience while they are here; it is also about using the Presidency to strengthen the policy foundations that make future tourism growth possible."

But, ITIC also warned against the Government using its EU Presidency to paper over the cracks without doing what is needed to boost Ireland's inbound product: "Irish tourism must be able to deliver on the EU Presidency opportunity. Attention has little commercial value if the visitor experience does not remain competitive. Tourism businesses continue to face high energy, insurance and labour costs, while Ireland remains an expensive country in which both to operate and to visit. Capacity matters too.

"There is little point setting ambitious tourism growth targets if visitors cannot find accommodation or move easily around the country. Better connectivity, sufficient accommodation and continued investment in the visitor experience are essential if Ireland is to compete internationally and if more of tourism’s value is to reach regional communities.

"The Presidency gives us a platform but converting that visibility into future demand depends on the infrastructure behind the visitor experience: connectivity, accommodation, transport capacity and the ability of tourism businesses to keep investing. Ireland should use its Presidency to help build a more pro-tourism framework for those priorities at European level."