Killarney hoteliers call on politicians to cut rates by 30%

LEADING figures in Kerry’s tourism industry will today meet TDs and local councillors in a bid to have commercial rates reduced.

Hard-pressed hoteliers in Kerry, many of whom are struggling to survive the recession, are paying annual rates ranging from €100,000 to €300,000. They are seeking a 30% cut.

Kerry Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) president Sean O’Driscoll said “ancient” commercial rates laws harshly punished the hotel sector.

“The burden of rates is costing jobs in tourism in this county and that message needs to get out to our public representatives,” he said.

Speaking at the annual Kerry IHF dinner, Mr O’Driscoll, of the Brehon Hotel in Killarney, also called for the removal, in the budget, of the €10 airport departure tax.

It was a very short-sighted tax which was detrimental to the tourism industry, and the exchequer would benefit far more from increased numbers of people coming into the country, he felt.

“The last thing we need is barriers that prevent people from coming to Ireland,” he said.

“Tourism is an industry that can help Ireland out of recession. It is an industry that can grow rapidly relative to other export sectors, but we need our public representatives to make the necessary decisions if our industry is to rise again and help repair our economy.”

Mr O’Driscoll welcomed the opening of the Castleisland bypass, but said much more needed to be done to improve access roads to Kerry from Cork and Dublin.

IHF national president Paul Gallagher said many Irish hotels were no longer profitable and called for a campaign to reverse the massive decline in the British market.

The number of British visitors was down by one million, representing a 30% drop, he stated.

Meanwhile, a well-known American tour operator has been honoured for his ongoing commitment to tourism in Killarney.

Arthur Tauck Junior, from Connecticut, was inducted into the Order of Inisfallen, which recognises outstanding contributions by non-residents to the economic development of the town, at a ceremony in Muckross House, Killarney.

Mr Tauck is chairman of Tauck World Discovery, which has brought almost 40,000 people on tours to Killarney since 1992.