Number of hotel rooms falling

Overseas visitors might be coming here in ever-increasing numbers but there are fewer places for them to stay.

Figures published by Fáilte Ireland show the availability of approved tourist accommodation is continuing to shrink.

The agency’s annual survey of accommodation capacity shows there are 798 approved hotels in Ireland this year, a fall of 13 over the past 12 months, with the loss of almost 500 bedrooms.

The number of hotels has now fallen by almost 7% since 2012, when 856 hotels were registered.

DISCOVER MORE CONTENT LIKE THIS

In the past year, there was a net loss of four hotels in Dublin, despite a recognised shortage of tourist accommodation in the capital.

There are 78 approved hotels in Cork this year (up two since 2014), while there were 73 in Kerry, a decrease of two on the previous year.

The number of five-star hotels has stayed static at 35, with 10 in Dublin, while the number of four-star hotels increased by one to 279.

However, the number of lower grade hotels has continued to decline with most closures in hotels occurring at two and three-star level.

The Irish Hotels Federation warned earlier this year that a third of hoteliers will not make a profit during 2015 in spite of strong growth in guest numbers and improved occupancy rates.

The IHF claim overhanging debt, commercial rates, and a lack of incentives to entice tourists beyond traditional destinations continues to threaten profitability.

Hoteliers have stated that they are facing claims for pay increases from staff after several years of pay cuts and freezes.

There was also a sharp fall in the number of approved B&Bs in the past year, down 79 to 1,550. There has been a 25% decrease in approved B&Bs since 2012 with 539 registered during that period.

B&B Ireland, which represents approved B&B operators, claims the reduced number is a combination of people retiring from the business or owners who decide to operate as unapproved accommodation providers.

DISCOVER MORE CONTENT LIKE THIS