Maintenance of the 9% Vat rate for those operating in the hospitality and tourism sectors will be one of the chief drivers of job growth in the coming year, according to the majority of respondents to a survey.

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today.

The Irish Hotels Federation says Siptu’s call for a cut in the hospitality sector’s 9% Vat rate is "nothing short of reckless" given the number of livelihoods depending on the tourism industry.

A new tourism leadership group of the industry’s key stakeholders has been formed to increase visitor numbers and jobs.

The Irish Film Board has announced the nine short films that will be funded as part of the AFTER ’16 initiative.

Junior employment minister Ged Nash has admitted there “may well” be an expectation among those earning the minimum wage that it should be increased, but employers are warning any rise will hit competitiveness and cost jobs.

The long-term sustainability of the tourism sector is being compromised by a lack of State investment, the hotels federation annual conference has heard.

Hoteliers are looking for a 30% reduction in local authority rates to help reduce their running costs.

Excessive local authority rates remain one of the most pressing issues facing hoteliers across the country and must be reduced to help the sector thrive, according to the industry’s representative body.

Ireland’s tourism interests strongly oppose the sale of the Government’s stake in Aer Lingus unless the takeover bidders include guarantees to secure the future of Ireland’s regional airports.

More than 40% of hoteliers are concerned about the viability of their business, despite 90% being upbeat regarding their prospects for the next 12 months.

The tourism industry has broadly welcomed the retention of the 9% Vat rate for the sector — but has been warned to pass on savings to customers.

Hotels and restaurants have slammed a suggestion by Siptu that the Government should scrap the 9% Vat rate for the sector as "reckless" and "irresponsible".

Hotel prices in Ireland increased by 10% to an average of €101 per night during the first half of 2014, according to a new survey.

The Irish Hotels Federation yesterday rejected the findings of a study on the sector which claimed prices increased by 10% in the first six months of the year.

Ireland continues to go from strength to strength as a tourist hotspot as new figures show the number of visitors here grew by more than 10% in the first six months of the year.

The annual Rose of Tralee is a bit like Marmite, Bovril, or the Eurovision — you either love it or hate it. There’s no in-between.

As the Bewleys/Moran hotel chain offers to fully refund all pre-paid rooms booked for the Garth Brooks concert, there have been calls for Ticketmaster to refund fans’ booking fees as well as the ticket price.

Some 160,000 Garth Brooks fans are anxiously awaiting developments after Dublin City Council axed two of the country music superstar’s Croke Park concerts.

By Noel Baker, Irish Examiner

The Irish hotel industry still needs a further €1.4bn in restructuring to bring hotel debt to a sustainable level according to a new report by economist Professor Alan Ahearne.

Recovery in the Irish hotel and hospitality sector is to be analysed, parsed and predicted by Nine Wise Men, overseen by a male Fulbright scholar — with not a single woman speaker on the bill — at an Irish Hotels Federation seminar next week.

It’s not just IT that can’t fill posts as hoteliers and others report difficulties, writes Kyran Fitzgerald.

Rangers today clinched the Irn-Bru Third Division title to complete stage one of their journey back to the top of Scottish Football.

Mickey Harte last night heralded a new era for Tyrone football, confirming a major overhaul of his squad and the departure of 11 established players.

MICKEY Harte is set to carry out a major overhaul of his Tyrone squad.

Tyrone manager Mickey Harte has made five changes to his team for Sunday's Allianz League Division 2 final against Kildare at Croke Park (throw-in 2pm).

Mickey Harte has selected an unchanged Tyrone team for Saturday's All-Ireland SFC fourth round qualifier against Roscommon at Croke Park (throw-in 4pm).

Tyrone manager Mickey Harte has made four changes to his side for Saturday's All-Ireland SFC third round qualifier against Armagh in Omagh (throw-in 7pm).

ARMAGH champions Crossmaglen Rangers dumped the reigning Ulster and All-Ireland champions, St. Gall’s, out of the running for successive titles with a brilliant 1-12 to 0-9 point win at Oliver Plunkett Park.

Defending All-Ireland Club champions St. Gall's crashed out of the 2010/11 title race this afternoon, as Crossmaglen Rangers, Coalisland and Naomh Conaill came through the Ulster Club SFC quarter-finals.

Dundee 2 Celtic 2