An Irish tourism trade group says government help is needed to make up Ireland’s shortfall of 11,500 hotel rooms for visitors in regional areas outside Dublin.
The report from the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation didn’t make a specific recommendation for how that could be accomplished, but listed a number of possibilities including tax breaks for development.
Industry leaders say that tourism to Ireland will continue to rise, hitting as high as 13 million within 10 years, up from 9.7 million in 2019. The 11,500 new rooms would add to the current total of 67,000.
Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, CEO of the group, told the Irish Independent that government help is needed because while hotels built in Dublin and Cork can generate enough revenue to make the initial investment pay, the situation is different in the rest of the country, and a longer time would be needed for profitability.
