Just 17% of hotel rooms booked for October

Based on current bookings, hotels are facing occupancy of just 23% in September and 17% in October, says Elaina Fitzgerald Kane of the Irish Hotels Federation. File picture: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

A bleak autumn is in store for Irish hotels, with many selling less than one-quarter of their rooms for the coming months.

In October, occupancy is set to be as low as 17%.

That follows a difficult summer for the sector, where bookings struggled at just 42% in July and 49% for August, the traditional peak tourism months.

The figures, revealed by the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF), have prompted calls for the government to provide sector-specific supports in order to protect the livelihoods of nearly 270,000 who were employed in the sector before Covid-19.

Speaking ahead of the Government’s new Roadmap for Resilience and Recovery, which is due to be published before September 13, Elaina Fitzgerald Kane, president of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF), said public health goes hand-in-hand with ensuring a viable economy when this pandemic has passed.

“People must have livelihoods. Prior to Covid-19, tourism supported almost 270,000 jobs, making it Ireland’s largest indigenous employer. 

"It is a key driver in communities the length and breadth of the country in both economic and social terms. 

"With the right supports and longer-term planning, it can be an engine for recovery, delivering jobs and regional balance to the economy,” she said.

Based on current bookings, hotels are reporting average occupancy levels of 23% for September and 17% for October. 

Ms Fitzgerald Kane said this highlights the significant challenges facing the sector. 

However, she is confident that the tourism sector in Ireland can recover.

She said: “Ireland still has enormous potential as a tourism destination. But, we are at a critical juncture. 

"With ongoing restrictions, the Government must provide more sector-specific supports to safeguard the livelihoods of the almost 270,000 employed pre-Covid. 

Tourism created some 90,000 new jobs following the financial crisis, demonstrating our industry’s ability to rebound given the right supports.

“As the Government has acknowledged, businesses require greater certainty so they can plan forward. 

"The supports announced so far, including those contained in the July stimulus, are all welcome but they only offer short-term fixes and particularly against the backdrop of ongoing public health restrictions. 

"What is necessary is an active, intensive and sustained public policy support framework to steer the tourism and hospitality industry through the crisis. 

"This is justified by the scale of the national and regional economic output and employment at stake,” she said.