To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any engagement he has had with the Northern Ireland tourism sector on achieving a net zero future.

In line with my four economic priorities and the Programme for Government, decarbonisation will form an integral part of the emerging 10-year action plan for tourism, which has been co-designed with the sector through the work of the Tourism Partnership Board which I established in September.

Tourism NI is already engaging actively with tourism businesses to reduce their carbon impact. The suite of support includes:

The Leaner & Greener programme which provides practical tools to help tourism businesses to reduce operating costs through more effective monitoring of energy, water, waste and food waste;

An intense Tourism Business Sustainability Programme helps businesses to develop targeted action plans to reduce carbon, as well as provides guidance to tell their ‘sustainability stories’ to visitors. By March 2025, nearly 100 businesses across the North will have completed this programme; and

modules to develop sustainability skills on Tourism NI’s online learning platform, MyTourismNI. This platform is free to access for all tourism businesses.

In order to further support tourism businesses on their journey to net zero, a tailored carbon calculator is being developed by the tourism agencies in Ireland. It is intended that the new calculator will be launched in Spring 2025.