Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I am aware of the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the visitor attractions and broader tourism sector and most importantly, the people working in the sector.  I am particularly conscious of the reliance of visitor attractions on international visitors and the repercussions of restrictions on international travel for the sector.  As set out in the Tourism Recovery Plan, survival, stabilisation and recovery are the requirements for tourism and I will continue to work with industry stakeholders on the measures required. A key support for visitor attractions and other tourism businesses has been the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) which was introduced to support businesses significantly affected by restrictions introduced to combat the pandemic.

However, I recognise that not all tourism attractions, particularly those that are primarily outdoor, not for profit or have charitable status, qualified for CRSS, so the funding I secured  in Budget 2021 has allowed me to introduce further measures to assist the tourism sector. With that funding I was able to make support available to tourism businesses, including those visitor attractions, through the first Stage of Fáilte Ireland’s €55m Tourism Business Continuity Scheme.  The Scheme is contributing toward the fixed costs of tourism businesses that are not eligible for CRSS, to support their survival.  

In addition to tourism-specific supports and the CRSS, other horizontal support schemes such as the EWSS and the Rates Waiver have been worth hundreds of millions of euro to the broader tourism and hospitality sectors.  In line with the recommendations of the Recovery Oversight Group, the Government extended the economy-wide supports for businesses and employees until the end of June and has committed that there will not be a cliff edge end to the supports currently in place.

I am committed to continuing support for tourism through this difficult period and to working towards reopening and recovery.  As part of the National Economic Recovery Plan, Government will be outlining how it will help people return to work and further support sectors which have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.  The Government has said there will be no cliff edge in terms of supports and, along with my colleagues in Government, I will consider more targeted measures to help reboot those sectors, such as tourism, which will face particular challenges during the recovery phase when the economy reopens. 

My department has regular engagement with the national representative association for the Visitor Experience and Attractions in Ireland (AVEA). I also recently met with the AVEA on April 12th discussing the safe reopening of attractions, supports, recruitment and working during COVID-19.