Hospitality and arts sector to warn of mass job losses before Covid-19 committee

SME Recovery Ireland is also expected to call for a government bailout of the sector.
Hospitality and arts sector to warn of mass job losses before Covid-19 committee
Tim Fenn, chief executive of the Irish Hotels Federation says business will be down almost three quarters on last year.

Hoteliers say they may have to lay off up to 180,000 people because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Representatives will appear before the Oireachtas Covid Committee later, where they will call for VAT to be cut from 13.5% to 5%, along with wage supports and rates cuts.

SME Recovery Ireland is also expected to call for a government bailout of the sector.

Tim Fenn, chief executive of the Irish Hotels Federation says business will be down almost three quarters on last year.

Mr Fenn says: "The hit to our sector has been enormous and we have put together a plan that could see us restoring employment and revenues back to 2019 levels by 2025.

"That can't happen without government support. We are looking for sector-specific measures to liquidity measures, for employment supports to continue.

"We are also looking for measures around government-controlled costs."

The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation has also warned of the impact of Covid-19 on the wider industry.

The group, whose members are drawn from private and State-owned companies and organisations north and south, says the tourism sector needs €1.5bn in grants and liquidity supports from the new Government’s stimulus package next month if many firms are to survive the summer and the winter with no money.

Meanwhile, the arts sector is losing an estimated €2.7m per month due to the Covid-19 crisis.

The National Campaign for the Arts is to meet with the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response today.

It will express concern over the reduced capacity in venues making it impossible to put on a profitable performance.

more articles

Leo Varadkar still has ‘some’ texts from pandemic period Leo Varadkar still has ‘some’ texts from pandemic period
Taoiseach visit to the US Leo Varadkar still has ‘some’ texts from covid pandemic period
Nolan says lessons need to be learned from Covid inquiry Nolan says lessons need to be learned from Covid inquiry

More in this section

FILE PHOTO The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has cleared the purchase of Goodbody Stockbrokers by AIB END Goodbody Stockbrokers fined over €1.2m by Central Bank over rules breaches
Nottingham City Centre Stock Irish staff at the Body Shop wait for wages as retailer shuts stores in the Republic
Ryanair comments on Norwegian Ryanair boss O'Leary's spat with Transport Minister over Dublin Airport escalates
IE logo
Devices


UNLIMITED ACCESS TO THE IRISH EXAMINER FOR TEAMS AND ORGANISATIONS
FIND OUT MORE

The Business Hub
Newsletter

News and analysis on business, money and jobs from Munster and beyond by our expert team of business writers.

Sign up
ie logo
Puzzles Logo

Play digital puzzles like crosswords, sudoku and a variety of word games including the popular Word Wheel

Lunchtime News
Newsletter

Keep up with the stories of the day with our lunchtime news wrap.

Sign up
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited