Govt urged to back tourism and hospitality voucher scheme

File photo.

The Government has been urged to back a voucher per household scheme that would “provide a shot in the arm for devastated tourism and hospitality businesses”, as official figures show that the sector is the biggest casualty of the Covid-19 crisis.

A Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection report found that the most severely impacted sectors in terms of jobs lost are tourism, hospitality and food services; retail; and construction. More than 128,000 workers in the tourism, hospitality and food sector are receiving the emergency pandemic unemployment payment, followed by 90,000 in retail and wholesale, and 70,000 in construction.