Ireland Over 10,000 Tourism Jobs Lost Due to Hotel Bed Shortages
Such conclusions have been reached in the recent government analysis, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
According to the Irish Times report, the statistics given to Ministers last week analyzing the situation in a total of 20 towns in Ireland showed that the most significant impact was noted in famous travel destinations such as Killarney, in which territory the impact on revenue to April this year is estimated at over €100 million with more than 2,700 jobs displaced.
The analysis revealed that in Bundoran, 465 jobs had been displaced, a total of 898 in Westport and 874 in Tralee. A significant number or one-third of accommodation beds are contracted by the State mainly to host a large number of Ukrainians fleeing the war as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Based on the analysis shown to Ministers at the meeting of the refugee accommodation subcommittee held last week, it was revealed that beds contracted to host asylum seekers as well as refugees account for a total of 85 per cent of capacity in Leitrim, the highest figures recorded in Ireland, followed by 71 per cent registered in Longford and 59 per cent in Offlay.
Previously, it was reported that the country might evict a large number of Ukrainians from April this year following the lack of accommodation.
The Irish Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar, previously said that the country is over 250,000 homes short of the number after it needs to accommodate a large number of refugees as well as asylum seekers, thus leading to homelessness.
The Minister of Integration of Ireland, Roderic O’Gorman, in March that Ireland is accommodating about 58,000 refugees from Ukraine as well as 20,000 nationals of other countries under international protection, emphasizing that it causes real pressure on housing.
A survey conducted previously by Failte Ireland showed that there were nearly 40,000 vacancies across the tourism sector last year.
Failte Ireland, in 2021, through another study, revealed that a large number of businesses surveyed or 88 per cent said they experienced difficulties in recruiting new staff, while 68 per cent of respondents stressed they experienced difficulties in rehiring pre-existing staff.
The tourism sector of Ireland makes a significant contribution to the economic sector. Last year alone, seven million people visited the country, based on the figures provided by the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, thus accounting for a total of 73 per cent recovery compared to pre-pandemic levels.
