Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The labour-intensive tourism and hospitality sector provides employment to more than 270,000 people, whose livelihoods depend on tourism. Some 70,000 of those people are directly employed in hotels. That figure had grown to 90,000 in 2018 and 2019 and the hotel industry was hopeful that it would return to pre-pandemic levels, when it generated €12 billion in revenue for the economy.

Consider the obstacles that the hotel industry overcame this year. There was a major surge in demand, amounting to 140% of pre-pandemic levels. The industry stepped up to the mark during the war in Ukraine when it provided 15% of its capacity under Government contracts. I believe that the figure has far exceeded 15%. What will happen next year when we have visitors from other countries? Will Ireland be full?

There is concern about the energy crisis. Since mid-summer, the hospitality sector has constantly requested a central point of information from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, so that the sector might minimise its costs and update its information appropriately, but this has not happened. The SEAI has not done its job and provided a central point of contact for the hotel industry.

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