Loss of more than 3,700 Killarney hotel beds 'decimating' town's bars and cafes

Businesses in one of Ireland's tourism capitals say they are suffering due to the number of refugees allocated to the town

Killarney town centre busy with visitors in the recent past. Kerry County Council will discuss five urgent motions as tourism operators say the greatly reduced number of hotel beds is damaging business in the town. File picture: Don MacMonagle

Decisions by the Government which have reduced the number of tourism beds in Killarney by up to 40% are “decimating” the town’s bars and cafes, a council meeting will be told.

The most recent figures from the Department of Children show 3,741 hotel beds in Kerry are now occupied by Ukrainian refugees, mostly concentrated in south Kerry and Killarney.