Hotel occupancy levels in the South-West for September and October are well below last year’s rates.
The Irish Hotels Federation has released information on room occupancy for the Autumn, calling for measures to be implemented to address the decrease and help the sector.
The Irish Hotels Federation says the impact of COVID-19 on business and employment in the industry has been huge.
At the beginning of 2020, the industry supported 270,000 direct and indirect jobs, yet 100,000 have since been lost.
With the summer season finished, hotels and guesthouses are now reporting a 70% drop in projected revenues for September compared to last year.
Bookings for September/October have plunged with average room occupancy levels at 24% nationally, compared to 86% for same period last year.
The IHF says average occupancy levels in the South-West – which includes Cork and Kerry – is at 31%, slightly above the national average.
It wants to see a number of measures implemented to arrest the decline, including a review of the six-person limit, increasing the wage subsidy scheme, extending the local authority rates waiver, reduce VAT to 9% and a comprehensive testing regime introduced for overseas visitors.
