Irish Hotels Federation: 100,000 jobs are at imminent risk

IHF president Elaina Fitzgerald Kane has warned 100,000 more tourism jobs are in danger. File picture: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

Another 100,000 tourism and hospitality jobs are at “imminent risk”, in the coming weeks, if additional stimulus measures are not forthcoming from the Government, the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) has warned.

The representative body has said more support is needed in order to save the sector. It said “urgent approval” is needed from the Government for gatherings of more than six people in hotels and said that a “lack of consultation” from the Government with the hotel industry “remains a major challenge”.

Already around 100,000 tourism jobs have been lost this year due to the impact on business of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Our industry is operating in a quasi-lockdown,” said IHF president Elaina Fitzgerald Kane. 

“The existing supports are totally inadequate for our industry, given the current restrictions. If appropriate measures are not put in place, more jobs will be lost," she said.

The IHF said hotels are due to be running at 24% occupancy across this month and October.

For the same two months last year, occupancy levels were closer to 86%.

“A severely devastated Irish tourism sector would be a major loss to Ireland’s economy and society for many years to come. This can and must be avoided. We are doing everything we can to protect public health whilst also helping to restore the economy and safeguard people’s livelihoods, but we face extraordinary challenges. These have been greatly exacerbated by the additional restrictions introduced last month, including limiting indoor gatherings to no more than six people,” Ms Fitzgerald Kane said.

The IHF also wants an increase in the scope of the new employment wage subsidy scheme, additional liquidity supports, and a reduction in tourism Vat to 9%.

Also needed is a 12-month extension to the local authority rates waiver, followed by payments based on reduced levels of business, it said.