Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

We are engaging with it all of the time. There is a meeting scheduled for tomorrow between our officials, Fáilte Ireland, the Irish Hotels Federation, IHF, and the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, ITIC. Although the VAT reduction applies to a wide range of businesses, no potential options should be off the table when it comes to protecting our reputation as a value for money tourism destination. That is a critical priority for the years ahead.

The demand right now is slightly related to a deferral of many travel plans. It cannot be taken for granted that as we go into the shoulder season and into next year everything will be as it was this year. A lot of people postponed holidays who did not see their families and all of that is coming to a head as we approach summer 2022. We need to be cautious and my officials will be communicating that in the meeting tomorrow.