AQW 4885/17-22

Mr Stewart Dickson
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 16/06/2020
Answered On Date: 07/07/2020
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy whether she will be seeking to participate in the new Re-open EU website and application, which provides travellers with information about COVID-19 rules and restrictions in European countries, so that NI hospitality and tourism businesses are not disadvantaged.

Answer:

Whilst tourism is a Devolved Matter, participation in this scheme involves engaging in EU fora where it would be for the UK Government to engage at Member State level. The UK is no longer part of the EU, and therefore the UK Government would not expect to be included in a map representing member states.

You will be aware of the expansive work that has been on-going by the Tourism Working and Steering Groups established by me to support and facilitate the re-opening of Northern Ireland’s tourism and hospitality sectors and of the significant progress that has been made in recent days in that regard.

In addition to this work, I continue to participate in regular meetings with the Minister for Tourism of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports together with the Tourism Ministers from the other Devolved Administrations. We are committed to doing all we can to support the tourism sector of each of our respective regions and of the UK as a whole. We will continue to work together to ensure that the UK remains an internationally competitive destination for business and leisure. We are committed to ensuring a safe travel environment that helps rebuild consumer confidence in our tourism sectors, by strengthening regional and international coordination.

I can confirm that information is regularly shared on our travel, border and health measures with key partners, including the European Commission, as part of the UK's international cooperation during the Coronavirus crisis.

I will continue to work with my UK counterparts. In turn, the UK Government will continue to work with the travel industry and with other countries through forums such as the OECD and G20 to coordinate the international response.