Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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274. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which the hotel and catering sector continues to meet the requirements of hotel and catering accommodation in all areas throughout the country; if any particular deficiencies have been identified in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22093/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Comprehensive data on capacity across the spectrum of tourist accommodation is available in the Research section of the Fáilte Ireland website, .

Statistics for the period January to October 2013, also available on the website, show hotel occupancy rates of 64%, an increase of 1% on the same period in 2012. Hotel room capacity remained unchanged between 2012 and 2013. Occupation rates for other forms of accommodation are lower with the next highest being guesthouses at 53% in the period January to October 2013.

These statistics would indicate that the country as a whole has a sufficient stock of tourist accommodation to meet the needs of the industry.

That said, hotel room occupancy in Dublin has improved considerably over the last few years and the trade is optimistic that these occupancy levels can be further improved in 2014.  While hotels in Dublin remain good value compared to other European City destinations, in order to maintain the competitiveness of the sector, there would appear to be scope for investment in hotels and other tourist accommodation in Dublin, particularly in the city centre where demand is highest.