The Chair of Clare’s Tourism Advisory Forum says the outlook for the industry is ‘far from a bed of roses’ for 2023.
It’s after the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation stated it believes it’ll be 2026 before the sector can return to pre-pandemic levels of trade.
The Confederation estimates that a total of seven million tourists travelled to Ireland in 2022 – that is just 73 per cent of the figures recorded in 2019 before the pandemic.
A further decline in tourism in 2023 is being put down to the cost-of-living crisis, including rising energy costs, and limited availability of hotel beds, partly due to significant numbers being occupied by refugees.
More than 12,500 people work in the hospitality industry here in Clare, which is estimated to contribute 250 million euro annually to the local economy.
Chair of Clare’s Tourism Advisory Forum and Ennis hotelier Sean Lally believes while traffic numbers at Shannon Airport are showing good signs, there are ‘huge challenges’ ahead that the industry will have to face.
A former Chair of the Shannon branch of the Irish Hotels Federation says the current situation is a ‘worry’ for all of those involved in the sector locally.
There are also fresh concerns being raised about the ongoing uncertainty of the future of the management of this county’s Shannon Heritage sites and the impact this may have on the industry in the short to medium term.
Clare County Council, the Shannon Airport Group and the Government have yet to reach an agreement on a funding package to rubber stamp a transfer of the sites.
The local authority says it needs 15 million euro to add Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, Knappogue Castle and Craggaunowen to its portfolio.
Dermot Kelly of the Shannon Springs Hotel says the issue needs to be brought to a conclusion urgently.
