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. 

Killarney is also home to 600 people in direct provision.

Five motions are to be put before next week’s meeting of Kerry County Council’s Killarney Municipal District expressing concern about the high number of arrivals into Kerry and the loss of tourism beds as a result.

Independent councillor and hotelier Niall 'Botty' O'Callaghan says Killarney needs supports 'as a result of what was a Government decision to reduce the capacity of tourism by up to 40%'. File picture: Don MacMonagle

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has criticised the lack of communication from the Government, saying the first it learns of new arrivals is when buses pull up at hotel doors. The chamber says the town now has one of the highest ratios of refugees and asylum seekers per capita in the country.

Killarney Immigrant Support Centre (formerly Killarney Asylum Seekers Initiative, KASI) said it has had to suspend some of its activities because of queues outside its offices and it has received no extra staff or support.

Hotelier and local councillor Niall O’Callaghan says a clear plan is needed for resettling asylum seekers, as footfall and spending power has been severely reduced in Killarney. He wants the Vat hike from 9% to 13.5% for the hospitality sector to be suspended for Kerry.

Killarney needs government supports “as a result of what was a Government decision to reduce the capacity of tourism by up to 40%”, he said.

Bars, cafes, and craft and souvenir shops were experiencing a drop in business of 30%-40% at a time of high energy costs, rising prices and rates bills, he said, adding that the community had no say in the arrangements between proprietors and the International Protection Accommodation Services. 

Mr O’Callaghan said there is now great uncertainty about the availability of tourism accommodation for 2023, and a real risk tour operators will move elsewhere because of lack of supply.

Irish Hotels Federation Kerry branch president Bernadette Randles. File picture: Domnick Walsh  

Irish Hotels Federation Kerry chairperson, Bernadette Randles, said a long-term solution was needed.

“If we take rooms out of our tourism stock for asylum seekers and refugees are we going to have enough room for our international and our national guests?” she asked, adding that it had knock-on effects on tourism infrastructure such as cafes, bars, and guesthouses in small towns in south Kerry. 

“The question is how can Kerry take any more with schools and medical services already full?” she said.

Local GP and medical director of Southdoc Gary Stack warned of health services being close to collapse in the town.

Meanwhile, next Wednesday’s Killarney Municipal District meeting will hear calls on various ministers to develop a plan in relation to support services in Killarney.

A separate motion will ask the council to seek a meeting with Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe so that “the proposed increase in the tourism Vat rate be suspended in the county of Kerry as the government decisions have decimated our trade”.

A motion by John O’Donoghue will ask what autonomy the council retains over any decisions made by International Protection Accommodation Services to locate or relocate asylum seekers into or out of the county.

Independent councillor Donal Grady will seek a response from Justice Minister Helen McEntee about the impact on Killarney’s housing, education and health services.