Tag Archives: Irish Hotels Federation

IN an open letter to local election candidates in the county, Dermot Kelly, the Shannon representative of the Irish Hotels Federation, appealed for support for the tourism sector. “A flourishing tourism and hospitality industry is vital for Ireland’s prosperity and economic well-being, both nationally and at a local level. “Our industry plays an essential role in delivering balanced regional growth and makes a major economic contribution to Clare. As the country’s largest indigenous employer, tourism enterprises support over 270,000 livelihoods in every town and county, including some 12,700 in Clare,” he said. “While we have seen a welcome recovery in recent years, tourism and hospitality businesses are now facing a significant number of pressing challenges with implications for the longer-term sustainable development of our industry. These include the exceptionally high cost of doing business, pressures on consumer finances, skills shortages and an uncertain outlook for key tourism markets. “Local Authorities have an essential role to play in supporting our local …

Clare Hoteliers have expressed serious concerns about the stimulus package announced by the Government which does not go far enough to support Irish tourism and safeguard the livelihoods of the 270,000 employed by the industry – including the 12,000 jobs supported locally by tourism in Clare. Dermot Kelly, Chair of the Shannon Branch of the Irish Hotels Federation states: “We are disappointed that the Government failed to deliver a reduction in tourism VAT. This is a missed opportunity given how highly effective the previous reduced VAT rate was in promoting increased employment. We now have a higher rate of VAT than 30 other European countries with which we compete. This is untenable from a competitiveness point of view and puts us at a serious disadvantage, particularly when consider our nearest neighbours Northern Ireland and Britain now have a tourism VAT rate of 5%.  We will be engaging further with the Government on this critical issues as part of the October …

ALMOST 9,000 jobs in hospitality and tourism in Clare are at immediate risk, with the sector braced for what industry leaders are calling “an impending disaster”. While hotels and pubs serving food are set to re-open from next Monday, representative groups are concerned about the chances of salvaging the 2020 season. An industry briefing for Clare, prepared for the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF), reveals that 8,800 jobs are at risk in 2020. The figure represents close to 75% of all jobs in the industry in Clare, and the same percentage of the total revenue the sector generates for the county. “Up until recently, tourism and hospitality across Clare supported 12,000 jobs and generated €266 in revenues annual for the local economy,” the IHF briefing stated. “We are now facing a deepening crisis with 8,800 tourism jobs at risk across Clare and local tourism revenues estimated to drop by €200 million as businesses fight for survival,” Responding to the figures, North …

Following news that United Airlines is to cease its seasonal transatlantic service from Shannon to Chicago from next year, Mary Gleeson, general manager of the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis, has urged Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to do all in their power to reinstate the key route. “After five years of promoting the Chicago-Shannon route to all our contacts, we are devastated to hear that United Airlines appear to be walking away from it. “We understand that the summer period was very successful for these flights and every time I met a client who had travelled on it, I was told that the flight was full or close to it. So I find the claim that the route is no longer financially viable hard to believe. “Surely the loss of this valuable route, in terms of regional development, particularly with the success of the Wild Atlantic Way, warrants the intervention of the …

THE latest Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) quarterly barometer showed that hotel and guesthouse owners in Clare and across the country are very optimistic about 2017, after significant growth this year. Nine in 10 IHF members say they saw increased business in 2016, while 57% grew their workforce and some 89% have plans to reinvest in their properties in 2017. Also, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the number of overseas visitors grew by 10% to 8.8 million – the highest number on record. There was an increase of 10% in holiday visitors, while business visitors and those coming to visit friends and relatives were up 12%. Elaine Fitzgerald Kane, chair of the Shannon branch of the IHF, said there has been a lot to be positive about. “Irish tourism has seen a record-breaking year in 2016 and there is a lot to celebrate. This is an outstanding achievement and a result of the hard work being carried out by …

Clare hotels have seen business return to 2007 levels, according to a former president of the Irish Hotels’ Federation and Lahinch hotelier Michael Vaughan. Figures from the Central Statistics Office, released this week, showed that overseas trips to Ireland increased by 13.5% for the period July to September 2015. According to Mr Vaughan, while this year has been good, 2016 is likely to be even better. “In overall terms, I think in the hotel business, 2015 will go down as the year that tourism returned to normality and that was the picture throughout County Clare. Everyone is satisfied with the year that they had. We have now reached the level of business we did in 2007, which is a clear return to the normal tourism cycle. The main reasons for that is the North American market, which was the stellar performer of 2015. I’m predicting an equally good year for 2016. My bookings are ahead of where they would have …

Hotels and guesthouses are expressing confidence for 2014 according to the latest Irish Hotels Federation’s (IHF) quarterly barometer findings. The barometer of IHF members carried out as the summer season starts shows that some 86% of hotel and guesthouses have expressed an optimistic view for future trading conditions in 2014, with some 72% of respondents indicating an increase in advance summer bookings compared to the same period last year (4% reported a decrease and 24% noted no change). Hotel and guesthouse owners have, however,  expressed renewed concern regarding pressures on their cost base, citing excessive Local Authority Rates being a key issue, with some 81% stating it is having a negative impact on their business. Local Authority Rates are the biggest single cost that hoteliers have no control over and the IHF is calling for a 30% reduction on these rates to ensure Irish tourism’s ability to compete effectively for domestic and overseas tourists. These rates are particularly affecting hotels …