Government staycation subsidy in September is too little too late for the Irish tourism sector
Waiting until September to introduce a staycation subsidy will be too little too late for the Irish tourism sector according to Labour Spokesperson on Tourism and Sport, Senator Mark Wall who was reacting to reports that the subsidy expected to be announced as part of the July stimulus will not be introduced until September.
Senator Wall said:
“There are 250’000 people employed in the tourism sector and last year tourism was worth €9.4 billion to the Irish economy. That figure is expected to drop by at least 75% this year with virtually no foreign tourists expected to travel to Ireland.
“The Government have repeatedly said that the July stimulus will be focused on protecting jobs and incomes and as with other sectors what we have heard thus far in relation to tourism has been underwhelming and inadequate.
“Any tourism stimulus must take in the traditional peak summer season and not just the off-peak ‘shoulder season’ of September and October. These proposals will mean little or nothing to thousands of families with children who will not be able to holiday once schools hopefully return in September.
“Labour is calling for a much more ambitious economic recovery package of at least €10 billion over two years which would allow for a more comprehensive tourism stimulus. We have set 5 tests for the Government’s July stimulus and this tourism package fails one of them, as it is not enough to counteract the impact of Covid-19 on jobs in the tourism sector.
Senator Wall continued:
“Tourism has experienced one of the highest levels of jobs losses due to Covid-19 with the complete loss of overseas travel and many businesses only reopening now. We need a much more ambitious stimulus for the tourism sector that will adequately support jobs in the sector and put money back into people’s pockets.