Summer is upon us and Ireland’s tourism hotspots are gearing up for a busy period ahead.
However, between the Covid-19 pandemic and the refugee crisis brought about by the war in Ukraine there has not been a regular tourist season since 2019.
About a third of hotel beds are now contracted to the State to house people fleeing the war in Ukraine and asylum seekers from other countries.
While these hotels may well be glad of the revenue during the lean winter months, as Jack Horgan-Jones reports in our lead today, the situation is having an impact on the wider tourism industry as the summer season begins.
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Bed shortages as a result of the challenges in securing accommodation for refugees outside the hotel sector have led to 10,000 tourism jobs being displaced, a Government analysis suggests.
According to figures given to Ministers last week analysing the situation in 20 towns around the country, the greatest impact is being felt in popular tourist destinations such as Killarney, where the impact on revenue to April this year is estimated at more than €100 million – with 2,722 jobs displaced.
In Bundoran, 465 jobs have been displaced, while in Westport the estimate is for 898 roles, with another 874 in Tralee.
Tourism body Fáilte Ireland is understood to have drawn up options for Covid-type supports for affected businesses in a paper sent to Government in recent months.
Eligibility would be determined by the drop in revenues in 2023 compared to the same quarter in 2019.
However, several senior Government sources downplayed the idea that the Coalition was minded to move immediately on the issue and cautioned that while the accommodation situation was serious, there was an element of pre-budget manoeuvring going on. It is expected options for supports will be developed in advance of the budget.
Costs
Meanwhile, the Cabinet is to hear that costs borne by the Department of Integration in relation to supports for refugees from Ukraine came to €266 million in that period, while expenditure on international protection for people from other countries came to €144 million – some €410 million overall.
It is understood that expenditure was above expectations, but reflects costs from January to March, when the number of people arriving in Ireland was higher.
Amid the difficulties and costs of the refugee crisis it should not be forgotten that at its heart is the need to help people fleeing desperate situations in Ukraine and other countries.
Nathan Johns reports today that some asylum seekers are arriving to a far from ideal situation in Ireland as well due to a shortage of accommodation.
A rising number of people are sleeping in tents in the area surrounding the International Protection Office in Dublin city centre.
As of Monday evening, 41 tents, most believed to be housing international protection applicants, could be counted close to the office of the State body responsible for processing asylum applications.
Best reads
On Monday The Irish Times reported on the secret defence arrangement – dating back to the Cold War – that sees the British air force protecting Irish airspace. Today our Political Editor Pat Leahy asks Sinn Féin if they would continue the arrangement and the answer seems to be that they do not yet know. The party says it needs more information before it decides whether or not it would scrap the agreement if in government.
Foreign affairs spokesman Matt Carthy said the arrangement “simply further exposes the abysmal failure of successive Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil governments to invest in our Defence Forces and to ensure that, as an independent, neutral state, we can monitor and defend our airspace and our seas”. It could prove an awkward dilemma for a Sinn Féin government in the future, but they have a point that the situation should have been dealt with long before now.
On the opinion pages, Fintan O’Toole writes that Ireland’s giant open-air experiment on property has failed.
In sport, Denis Walsh tackles the furore over hurling matches being broadcast behind the GAAGO paywall last weekend. Hurling, he writes, suffers when RTÉ and the GAA decide to do this.
Playbook
The Cabinet meets this morning – see our report on what’s on the agenda here, including how Ministers are to be brief on proposals for using an expected €65 billion in budget surpluses.
Ireland’s European Commissioner Mairead McGuinness is to deliver an address to the Seanad to mark Europe Day at noon.
Dáil proceedings kick off with Leaders’ Questions at 2pm followed by the Order of Business and Taoiseach’s Questions.
There will be statements to mark Europe Day from 3.50pm.
A Sinn Féin Private Members’ motion on food costs and rising grocery bills will be debated from 6.15pm.
Minister for Finance Michael McGrath takes questions at 8.15pm.
TDs will raise Topical Issues after 9.45pm.
The Environment Committee will hear from the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities on energy prices and other issues from 11am onwards. See our tee-up report on what is expected to be said, and how almost a quarter of domestic gas customers have been in arrears this year, here.
The Committee on Children will conduct pre-legislative scrutiny of the Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2023, which includes a raft of child welfare measures. It will hear from representatives of the department; Tusla the Child and Family Agency; and the Children’s Ombudsman. The meeting starts at 3pm.
The committee on housing is continuing its look at modern methods of construction. Representatives of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland and the Construction Industry Federation are to attend.
Minister for Justice Simon Harris will be before the justice committee at 3.30pm as it considers the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023.
See the full Dáil, Seanad and Committee schedules here, here and here.
