Dáil debates

Thursday, 7 October 2021

Recovery of Tourism and Aviation: Statements

 

1:40 pm

Photo of Imelda MunsterImelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The effect the pandemic has had on tourism cannot be overstated. It has been devastating. It has been said many times but it is worth repeating that tourism was among the first sectors to shut down when the pandemic hit and it will be among the last to resume normal activities. Before the pandemic, tourism was one of the most successful indigenous sectors in the State. It had a very successful year in 2019 when approximately €9 billion in revenue was generated. Almost €7 billion of that was generated by overseas visitors and €2 billion was from the domestic tourism market. This shows the reliance the sector has on overseas business and the devastation that travel restrictions have had on our tourism sector since March 2020. This is especially true for every part of the country that has a significant reliance on tourism.

Some 18% of jobs in Kerry are directly dependent on tourism. The figure for Donegal is 13%, for Waterford it is 12% and in Dublin it is 10%. We know that a large number of people working in tourism and hospitality had to rely on pandemic supports in the past year and a half. Some have since lost their jobs or have left the sector. There are many reasons for this. Many people who are not originally from Ireland returned home during the pandemic and others left seeking more stable work or retrained to work in a new sector. I mention also that for many years we have had problems with poor pay and conditions in some sections of tourism and hospitality. These issues have been around for years and we need to address them to ensure the sustainability of the sector and that it grows again. Workers in this sector need to be paid a living wage and have decent terms and conditions of employment. These are basic rights that any worker in a modern, affluent country, such as Ireland, should expect. Good pay and conditions will also help with staff retention, which has been a major problem for businesses this year.

The sector is not a monolith and some businesses were able to open and do business this summer, while others were not in a position to do so. Although we are expecting to reopen fully on 22 October, it will soon be winter. Businesses that rely on international travel will find they are still struggling. Many businesses will not be back to normal until more travel restrictions are eased and the season begins again next year.

The Government provided supports during the pandemic with varying degrees of success. The pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, and the EWSS were vital supports. We need to ensure the EWSS remains available in a targeted way to protect businesses that remain affected by Covid into 2022. Other supports that were designed for tourism and hospitality were clunky. They left out large numbers of businesses or were badly tailored so take-up was low. There was no stimulus from the Government. Sinn Féin put forward a sensible, fully costed plan to give every adult and child in the State a voucher to spend in the tourism and hospitality sectors. It would have given families a hand at a time when so many people had lost their jobs or were temporarily out of work and it would have put money straight back into local tills in every county in the State.

Sinn Féin's alternative budget has made provision for a pre-Christmas voucher scheme of €200 for adults and €100 for children. We have also proposed allocations for Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and a fund for local authorities to improve their tourism offerings in the coming year. Instead of a stimulus package or plan from the Government, we got the stay-and-spend rebate scheme, which was a complete flop. Some €2 million of the €270 million that was set aside was claimed. We were hoping to see a more sensible stimulus scheme in the July stimulus plan but there was nothing in that either. After 18 months of the biggest disaster ever to hit tourism and hospitality, there is still no stimulus plan.

Other areas too are still in limbo. We need clarity on the reopening of nightlife in the coming weeks. Businesses need to know so they can make plans now ahead of 22 October.

Culture and nightlife were completely forgotten. Professional musicians suffered, and continue to suffer, extreme hardship. Artists are still waiting for clarity on the basic income proposal and what exactly it will mean. We must ensure that the groups at the bottom of the Government's priority list are prioritised now. The fact that the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media was this summer blocked from attending the Cabinet sub-committee tells us all we need to know about the attitude of this Government to the arts, culture and tourism.

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