Hotels set to be only a quarter full over peak season

Only a quarter of hotels rooms nationally are set to be booked out during peak holiday season, according to the latest industry survey

The shocking statistics were compiled by the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) shows national occupancy levels of 23% and 26% for the peak summer months of July and August respectively, based on confirmed bookings, compared to an average of 90% for the same period last year. Occupancy for September, traditionally a popular time for US visitors, currently stands at 22%.

IHF Mourne, Boyne and Lakes branch chair, Ross Mealiff (pictured) said that the figures show there is plenty of availability in hotels and guesthouses in every county including Cavan. However, she added that the substantial drop in occupancy levels highlighted the unprecedented challenges facing the sector and the requirement for immediate interventions to support tourism businesses.

“When we look across the water to the UK, we see the decisive action taken this week by the UK Government in their Plan for Jobs. The slashing of their VAT rate from 20% to 5% is a clear sign of their commitment to support the recovery of their tourism and hospitality industry. Given how closely our economies are intertwined a similar cut here is necessary. The UK is not only Ireland’s biggest market for overseas tourists, it is also our biggest competitor,” said Mr Mealiff.

Guidelines

Mr Mealiff also called for urgent clarity on the guidelines for gatherings in light of the decision this week by the Northern Ireland Executive to allow the capacity for indoor gatherings including weddings to be determined by the size of the venue from July 10.

“Currently capacity here is limited to 100 people regardless of the size of the venue. We are calling on the Government to allow hotels that can safely host larger weddings to do so based on the size and scale of the venues, rather than imposing a general limit on how many people can gather at any venue, regardless of safe capacity,” he added.

Almost 90% of hotels in Cavan and across the country are expected to be open again by the middle of the month. Mr Mealiff said that this continues to be a critical time for the tourism industry, and the almost 270,000 livelihoods it supports. It is important to note that 70% of these jobs are outside of Dublin, highlighting its vital role in spreading employment opportunities and prosperity across the entire country. Here in Cavan tourism supported 3,200 jobs and generated €95m in local revenues before this crisis.