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Negative reaction to 'Brexit Budget'

Irish tourism industry organisatons have responded negatively to the 2020 Budget which includes provision for a €40m investment in the industry in the event of a 'no deal' Brexit donohoe1019

The funds would be shared by Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland and would be used to develop new tourism markets and assist weaker regions in Ireland.

The Irish Hotels Federation criticized Government’s decision not to reverse the tourism VAT increase, which came into effect following last year’s budget. Michael Lennon, President of the IHF said the increase in VAT from 9% to 13.5% has seriously undermined Irish tourism’s international competitiveness and the ability of tourism enterprises such as hotels to re-invest in their business and local economy.

Mr Lennon said: “Budget 2020 is heralded as a Budget for Brexit. Despite the serious challenges facing tourism, Government has failed to recognise the importance of competitiveness and its role in the ever-increasing cost of doing business in Ireland. This is a missed opportunity to rebalance the tax take from tourism at a time when economic indicators provide significant warning of a change in outlook.”

During his budget speech, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said that the restoration of the 13.5% VAT rate meant that he would be able to avoid hiking other taxes. He expects €466m to be raised as a result of this measure.

IHF challenge to accommodation letting

The Irish Hotels Federation is challenging the renting to visitors of a large student accommodation facility in Cork. amnis1019

The IHF has sought a ruling from An Bord Pleanála on whether the use of Amnis House on Western Road in Cork for year-round, short-term letting represents a material change of use of the building which requires planning permission.

However, the owner of Amnis House, a 30-unit facility which opened last year, denies that it has ever been used for short-term letting on a year-round basis. Western Road Student Ireland claimed the IHF was seeking clarification about a "hypothetical and totally irrelevant question".

The IHF referred the case for adjudication after complaining that Amnis House was advertising short-term lets on Booking.com last April.

It claimed the site listed it as one of its best-sellers in Cork, and had been welcoming guests since February 2019.

McMelkan joins Dalata board

Dalata has appointed Elizabeth McMeikan to its board as an independent, non-executive director. She is currently a senior independent director with JD Wetherspoon.

Having spent her earlier career at Colgate-Palmolive, Ms McMeikan then took up a role with Tesco, where she established Tesco Express in 1994. mcmelkan1019

In 1997, Ms McMeikan was appointed Tesco stores board director for change management and human resources at the grocery giant.

Today, she is also a senior independent director at UK-based student accommodation provider Unite Group. She also chairs the board's remuneration committee. In addition, she is a non-executive director at food company Fresca Group.

US Football show for Dublin

American college football is set to return to Ireland in 2020. On 29 August, two of the biggest names in college football – Navy and Notre Dame – will go head to head, kicking off notredame1019

the 2020 college football season at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.

ESPN has announced that it will broadcast its famous College GameDay show from Dublin – marking the first time ever that the programme will broadcast from outside the United States. College Gameday is a three-hour, pre-game show, broadcast by ESPN – which averages almost two million viewers.

Tourism Ireland and Aer Lingus will sponsor the College GameDay broadcast from Dublin on 29 August.

Kerry Plans 32km Greenway

Kerry County Council outlined its application for a greenway cycle and walkway through small farms and towns along the old railway line skirting the N70 Ring of Kerry in south greenway1019

Kerry, which was announced in 2014, but which has still to be constructed.

The proposed South Kerry Greenway will rise from sea level to 100m over Dingle Bay, providing “an iconic world class experience,” council representatives told An Bord Pleanála’s oral hearing into the planning and compulsory purchase applications. They said it is “much more than an amenity,” and would arrest the ongoing decline of the area.

The council said yesterday that it has fully consulted with landowners and is still waiting to hear from 45 out of 160 agricultural holdings which have not completed a survey.