Tax is killing tourism

IN response to Cathal Buckley’s letter headlined ‘Airline off course’ (June 23), I wish to assure him that the Government’s €10 tourist tax is responsible for the collapse of Irish tourism.

Ryanair last week promised that cuts at Dublin and Shannon this winter, made necessary by this tax, would be reversed if the €10 tax is scrapped.

There is an obvious difference between Ryanair’s online check-in fee, which is avoidable and replaces a €10 airport check-in fee, and the Government’s €10 tourist tax – which isn’t avoidable and is an effective 100% price increase on many winter routes from Dublin and Shannon.

Ryanair’s average fare fell by 8% to just €40 (including a checked-in bag) last year and is set to fall by 20% this year as the airline continues to lower the cost of travel to encourage tourism.

The effect of the Government’s non-avoidable €10 tourist tax is simply to damage passenger traffic and tourism at Ireland’s airports at a time when many other European governments – the Belgians, Dutch, Greeks and Spanish – are scrapping tourist taxes and reducing airport charges to zero in order to stimulate tourism.

Stephen McNamara

Head of Communications

Ryanair Head Office

Dublin Airport