Tourism Industry

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 June 2022

Tuesday, 21 June 2022

Questions (244)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

244. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the extent to which she and her Department have monitored the number of hotels that have closed down permanently or otherwise in the Dublin area over the past three years; if sufficient steps are being taken to ensure that hotel accommodation is not lost to the market by virtue of being replaced by other investment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32778/22]

Written answers

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

With regard to the closure of hotels in Dublin over the past three years , no specific audit has been carried out; however, according to the Central Statistic Office's recent publication - Business signs of Life series Two: Business Survival 2020 to 2021 - one in ten (10.4%) of enterprises trading prior to Covid-19 were at risk of closing at the end of 2021. Fáilte Ireland advises that there are more hotels on their register in 2022 than in 2021. 

There are currently just over 22,300 registered hotel rooms in Dublin with another 3,500 expected to come on stream over the next two years.  

It will be important that Dublin, as a capital city, can cater for all types of visitors with quality and value choices to suit different budgets.  

For the past number of years Fáilte Ireland has been trying to encourage both the development of, and positive conditions for the development of, hotels in Dublin through sharing their evidenced based analysis and through their role as a prescribed body in the planning process.