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No commitment on hospitality re-opening

Hospitality businesses have a growing expectation that the re-opening of the sector will not begin until after Easter at the earliest. catherine martin hero e1531920963297

Representatives from the hospitality sector met a number of Government ministers and were left with the sense that the easing of restrictions will take longer than previously expected.

The current restrictions are due to be reviewed on 30 January and a sector-specific approach to reopening the economy is now favoured with the initial focus on construction followed by non-essential retail.

The Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, and Minister for Enterprise, Leo Varadkar, and Minister for Tourism, Catherine Martin (pictured), met with representatives from the hospitality and tourism sectors.

While the ministers were careful not to give any specific timelines for reopening, representatives were left with no expectation that they will reopen at the end of March with many expecting a re-opening closer to the summer.

Plan to grow Dingle Tourism

Fáilte Ireland has launched a new plan to help drive tourism in the Dingle Peninsula. Entitled the ‘Visitor Experience Development Plan for the Dingle Peninsula’ the plan aims to dingle

create a sustainable tourism destination by extending the tourism season and spreading business across all parts of the Dingle Peninsula over the next five years.

Key stakeholders in the area and the local community were consulted and inputted into the plan including Kerry County Council, Dingle Peninsula Tourism Alliance, Údarás na Gaeltachta, the Office of Public Works , NEWKD LEADER as well as many local tourism operators.

The focus of the plan, which was developed over the last three years, builds on a number of destination development projects that will bring local experiences to life.

Speaking at the virtual launch of the plan, Miriam Kennedy, Head of the Wild Atlantic Way at Fáilte Ireland, said:

Media hosting pays dividends

Failte Irelannd spendig on hosting overseas journalists has fallen sharply i 2020 due to the Pandemic. The average annual spend on these visits is around €900,000, or €1,000

per visiting journalist, but the value pf resuting publicity is a large multiple of this figure.

Visits are usually organised by Tourism Ireland with Failte Ireland managing the itineraries.

An analysis of spending published by the 'Irish Examiner' shows that Fáilte Ireland charged over €160,000 on two credit cards to pay f in the space of 21 months.

.The bills included €2,474 at the Ice House Hotel in Co Mayo as part of a promotional trip for the Wild Atlantic Way, which took place in June 2019.

Hotel quarantine for incoming travellers ?

Travellers arriving in Ireland may be quarantined in hotels. stephendonnelly

The Government will consider implementing a stricter regime for inward-bound travellers amid growing concern about new strains of the coronavirus.

There have been 1,500 arrivals from Brazil in the past two weeks and those travellers have now been asked by the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly to contact a GP, get a coronavirus test and restrict their movements.

Government sources have said that Ministers will this week discuss all aspects of travel regulations in light of concerns about new Covid-19 strains from the UK, South Africa and Brazil.

Sources have said that while it would be legally complex, they cannot rule out implementing a stricter regime on inward-bound travellers to make it mandatory to quarantine for 14 days in a hotel.

New move in 'Whitewater' plan

Dublin City Council is seeking to draw up a shortlist of contractors interested in building a white water rafting facility in George’s Dock. whitewater

Dublin city councillors voted in December 2019 to approve plans to build a white water rapids rafting facility beside the CHQ building in Dublin city centre, at a cost of €23 million.

The local authority hs now sought expressions of interest from prospective construction companies for the contract to build the facility.

The preliminary contract tender, published online, said the project was “subject to funding”. The tender listed the estimated value of the contract as €25m excluding Vat, which would represent a further increase in the cost of the project.