Only 31% of local hotel rooms booked for October

Hotel bookings have plummeted across the border region putting 3,500 tourism jobs in Cavan and Monaghan at risk, according to a lobby group for the sector.

According to the latest survey conducted by the Irish Hotels Federation, hotel room occupancy rates across the border region are at 61% for September, 31% for October and 14% for November based on business currently booked.

Ross Mealiff, Chair of the IHF Mourne, Boyne and Lakes Branch said: “It is now ‘make or break’ time. Urgent and unprecedented intervention from the Government is required to support tourism businesses and safeguard thousands of jobs throughout the sector. This must form a central plank of the Budget due to be announced next month.”

The IHF claim that prior to Covid-19, Cavan and Monaghan’s tourism and hospitality industry supported 4,800 jobs and generated €138 million in revenues annually for the local economy. They claim that up to 75% of those tourism jobs (3,500), across Cavan and Monaghan at risk this year, with local tourism revenues forecast to drop by €100m.

“The outlook is exceptionally difficult and highlights the requirement for urgent immediate sectoral specific measures for tourism," said Mr Mealiff. "This situation is nothing short of disastrous for our sector with serious implications for the tourism industry and wider economy. We are calling on the Government to implement sector specific measures as a matter of urgency. These should include enhanced employment subsidies, a reduction in tourism VAT, extended waiver of local authority rates and greater access to banking finance.”

A key measure the IHF are seeking relates to the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS). They contend that the EWSS rates of support should be increased to the previous TWSS levels of €350/€410 per week for businesses that can demonstrate a 50% reduction in turnover for a 12-month period to 31 March 2021. The Period for calculating the existing 30% reduction should also be extended on a similar basis. This would assist employers in retaining staff during difficult winter/spring months.