Irish tourism minister Mary Hanafin will chair a new group comprising a number of representatives from the country's tourism industry in a bid to boost its competitiveness.

The Tourism Renewal Implementation Group will be tasked with driving the continued delivery of measures set out in the Survival and Recovery Actions, as well as highlighting any issues.

Members of the group will include Eamonn McKeon, chief executive of the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation; Tourism Ireland chief executive Niall Gibbons; and Shaun Quinn, chief executive of Fáilte Ireland.

Hanafin said: "The new Renewal Implementation Group will oversee and drive actions on measures to support tourism in Ireland to ensure that the sector is ready for recovery and growth."