MEDIA STATEMENT

Tuesday, 10^th October 2023: The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) today expressed deep disappointment with the lack of measures in Budget 2024 to address the serious challenges facing tourism businesses, including soaring costs of doing business.

IHF President Denyse Campbell said that the failure to address Government-controlled business costs is an enormous concern, particularly in relation to employers PRSI. “We are now at a crossroads in terms of business costs for labour intensive industries, such as tourism and hospitality. A fundamental restructuring of employers PRSI is now essential for our sector. This is one area where Budget 2024 could have made a tangible difference by introducing a targeted rebate on employers PRSI over the next 36 months. The lack of any support in relation to PRSI is extremely disappointing and must be revisited urgently.”

Ms Campbell noted that Irish tourism and hospitality has experienced unprecedented increases in operating costs over the last eighteen months. With no let-up in sight, cost inputs are continuing to rise right across all areas of business for hotels and guesthouses at a time when they are also dealing with a significant rise in interest rates.

Commenting on the implications of the recent increase in tourism VAT, Ms Campbell said the 13.5% rate will have a significant negative impact on the industry, Ireland’s largest indigenous employer. “We are disappointed that the Government has not committed to keeping the tourism VAT rate under review. We now have the third highest tourism VAT rate in all of Europe. Regional hospitality businesses outside the main tourism hotspots will be hardest hit, as will those businesses heavily reliant on food services - which are dealing with very tight margins and reduced profitability.”

Ms Campbell stated that the IHF had sought a greater commitment from the Government in relation to supports for specific sustainability initiatives within the hotels sector and the wider tourism industry. She said: “It is regrettable that we have not seen more movement in relation to sustainability supports targeting tourism and hospitality. There is a real desire among hotels to embrace further sustainability measures in line with the Government’s Climate Action Plan. For example, we would like to have seen a funding commitment for a dedicated National Hotel Retrofitting Scheme to help turbo-charge greater energy efficiency within the sector and the adoption of renewable energy.”