Hoteliers call for abolition of travel tax

The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) today called on Finance Minister Brian Lenihan to abolish the €10 departure tax in order to reverse the disastrous decline in visitor numbers to Ireland.

The IHF made the call as part of its pre-budget submission, which urged Minister Lenihan to improve the trading environment in Irish tourism by promoting cost competitiveness, maintaining current levels of tourism marketing activity and addressing the capacity and credit problems facing hotel and guesthouse owners.