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

The arrival of refugees from the war in Ukraine, combined with the high number of international protection applicants, has resulted in the largest humanitarian effort in the State's history. The national response to this challenge is underpinned by an all-of-government approach. As part of this effort, Ireland is now accommodating more than 83,520 people, compared with 8,300 in February 2022. This is equivalent to the population of Galway city and serviced accommodation within the tourism sector, primarily hotels, has been to the fore in meeting this immediate need.

The Government is focused on how to continue the sustained support for those fleeing the war in Ukraine, including those already here as well as those likely to be further displaced by the ongoing conflict. As part of this, the Government has agreed that a move from an emergency response to a more mainstreamed approach, including a reduced reliance on serviced accommodation, is appropriate.

Demand for Irish tourism from abroad and at home is strong and the sector, supported by the Government, has shown great resilience in rebuilding after Covid. However, I am concerned about the potential downstream impacts on tourism businesses of the removal of one third of registered tourism accommodation from the tourism market. Fáilte Ireland research shows that, for every €1 spent on tourism accommodation, the average overnighting tourist spends another €2.50 in the local economy on visitor attractions, tourism support services, hospitality and retail.

I have raised this concern with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, and other Government colleagues and I have asked my officials and Fáilte Ireland to do further work on this issue as we approach peak season. That work will focus on emerging trends in the 2023 season, with a particular focus on those parts of the country that are most affected by the loss of tourism accommodation. It will also assess what mitigation measures could be considered if the scale of the impact is sufficient to warrant this.

The State has invested heavily over the decades in helping the tourism sector to become a key employer of scale in large parts of the country and in ensuring a strong pool of tourism attractions, activity providers and related tourism businesses. While it is to be hoped that intervention and mitigation measures will not be needed and that key tourism businesses will be able to trade successfully throughout the season, it is prudent to assess the potential impacts of tourist accommodation displacement and to consider potential measures.

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