Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 June 2020
926. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when a package of support will be announced for the hospitality and tourism sector; the elements that will be included in this package; if he has had discussions with the Minister for Health in relation to opening hotels on a limited occupancy basis at the same time as restaurants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8941/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has liaised with other Government departments and industry representative bodies, to align the economy wide COVID-19 supports and initiatives with tourism and hospitality needs. The measures put in place by the Government to support businesses initially focused on supporting those who have lost their jobs and in supporting businesses to remain viable during this difficult time with specifically targeted supports to assist companies to stay operational and retain their staff.
As a result, many tourism businesses are now availing of the various cross-sectoral economic supports that the Government has already put in place such as; the wage subsidy scheme, increased unemployment benefits, the state credit guarantee scheme, working capital loan schemes, enterprise support schemes and deferrals of tax liabilities, VAT, social contributions and local authority rates.
Fáilte Ireland has set up a COVID-19 Industry Advisory Group which meets weekly. The purpose of this group is to provide support to the tourism industry and to facilitate the timely sharing of information and insights to help improve the sector's understanding and response to the crisis. Fáilte Ireland has also developed a COVID-19 Business Support Hub which offers a suite of targeted supports for tourism businesses including a series of webinars from experts in each field, as well as advice guides with detailed FAQs and templates where necessary.
Minister Ross and I have appointed a Tourism Recovery Taskforce to prepare a Tourism Recovery Plan which will include a set of recommendations on how best the Irish tourism sector can adapt and recover in the changed tourism environment as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. The plan will identify priority aims, key enablers and market opportunities for the sector for the period 2020-2023. The Taskforce may consult with stakeholders to inform its deliberations and report back this year. The membership of the Taskforce is available on my Department’s website.
On 1st May, the Government published a Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business to ease the COVID-19 restrictions and reopen Ireland’s economy in a phased manner. In this regard Fáilte Ireland, in conjunction with the relevant authorities, is currently preparing guidelines for the tourism sector.
In line with the sequence of actions detailed in the ‘Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business’, hotels (but not hotel bars) are due to reopen in Phase 4, which is also when travel beyond the home area (>20km) is due to be permitted. This Roadmap is a living, flexible framework document and will be subject to regular review. As per this framework and subject to the continued successful suppression of the spread of COVID-19 in Ireland, the Government will decide which restrictions to ease and at what point in time, having regard to the public health advice of the Department of Health and other social and economic considerations.
