The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, a representative body for the hospitality sector, has presented its pre-budget requests to the government this week. These demands include a return to the 9% VAT rate, increased financial support from the state to boost the industry, and removal of the 32m passenger limit at Dublin Airport, which is the major entry point for tourists in the country.
Given that it’s the height of the tourist season and the Covid crisis is no longer an immediate concern, let’s delve into the current state of Ireland’s hospitality industry.
Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, head of The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation is on our panel of experts, along with Paul Donnellan, who is the owner and Head Chef of Gemelle’s Restaurant in Galway, and Paul Gallagher, the General Manager of Buswells Hotel in Dublin. Paul Donnellan shares the reasons why half of his Galway city restaurant is presently not operational, whilst Paul Gallagher discusses the financial losses encountered by Buswells Hotel due to the recent Aer Lingus flight cancellations and the unoccupied rooms they suffered on the first night of Taylor Swift’s Dublin concerts in late June. However, the conversation begins with Eoghan O’Mara Walsh detailing why the industry is yet again urging the government to reinstate the 9% VAT rate.
In other news, it’s reported that house price inflation has surged to 8.2%. Dublin’s hotels have seen a €55,000 deficit in room bookings due to the cancellations of Aer Lingus flights. Also, workers at Glen Dimplex in Louth have agreed to a redundancy package. We also get clarification on workers’ rights in situations of humiliation or verbal abuse by a manager. This episode was produced by John Casey.
