In the latest twist to the Ireland air travel tax question, the Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar confirmed that the Irish Government have decided that the €3 air travel tax will remain in place for the present, and shall be reviewed again in Spring 2012. As part of the new Government tourism plan launched last May, the Government had stated that the tax would be suspended if a deal could be initiated with the airlines on reinstating routes that had been cancelled or with the air carriers’ opening of new routes. The aim was to …
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Minister for Tourism Mr Leo Varadkar has urged all tourism related businesses to roll out the VAT cuts to consumers, where applicable. The 4% VAT reduction on tourism services was announced by the Irish government in May 2011 as a means to improve consumer spending in the hospitality and service industries. Mr Varadkar has strongly emphasised the need for the quick introduction of the VAT cuts, as this government initiative will only properly work if relevant businesses pass on the 4% VAT reduction, thus giving better value to consumers, and ultimately get …
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2011 is proving to be a hugely difficult year for the Irish Hotel sector, as the very latest industry survey reveals. The research has shown that around one hotel a week will go ‘bust’ during this year, which is a shocking statistic and an unfortunate reminder of the challenging economic times that we currently live in. The hotel survey of 2011 has shown that over 10% of Irish hotels are currently in receivership, with one going into bank ownership every week, with an estimated 50 hotels predicted to go bust by the end of the year. Despite the fact that Irish …
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Just two weeks after the official state visit to Ireland by Queen Elizabeth, the first visit by an English reigning monarch to Ireland since 1911, there has been a huge increase in the online searches of British people interested in visiting Ireland. The very warm welcome afforded to the British Head of State has resonated with prospective British tourists who are interested themselves in visiting and experiencing the ’Céad Míle Fáilte’ for themselves! As a result, hotels in Ireland, restaurateurs and tourism attractions are all looking for the ‘Moneygall’ effect, which will …
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We have all watched the news, print media and even followed the events unfold live on television, but one thing is certain - the official Irish state visits in the past week by US President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II have been an resounding success. The huge 60,000 crowd that gathered at College Green to greet the President two days ago, and the warm welcome afforded to the Queen wherever she went as part of her Ireland itinerary is a testament to the huge success of the visits. In a major coup for Irish tourism and a …
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This Wednesday May 18th sees the Europa League Final coming to Dublin city, when crack Portugese outfit FC Porto take on the surprise package Sporting Braga in the decider. The refurbished and brand new Aviva Stadium (formerly Lansdowne Road) is the venue for the showpiece of European Football’s second tier trophy, a prestigious prize which awaits either of the two Portuguese finalists. If you are in town for the game and looking for some quality last minute accommodation in Dublin, you will need to book fast as time is running out! Braga are in …
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During yesterday (Tuesday) some positive news for the Irish Tourism Sector was finally delivered by the new Irish Government as part of its jobs programme strategy. The Irish Tourism industry has been hit pretty badly in the past few years with the worldwide recession and the falling visitor numbers. It is hoped that the Royal Visit from the UK together with the new proposals will result in a positive increase in Irish Tourism figures. While this won’t happen overnight (visitor numbers are nearly at 1998 levels) - the new plans have …
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