Hotels braced for survival battle
The scale of the challenge for survival facing hotels and guesthouses in Galway as a result of the Covid crisis is laid bare in the latest industry survey from the Irish Hotels Federation this week.
It reveals that an estimated 100,000 jobs of these have been lost so far this year and the IHF warns that a further 100,000 are now at imminent risk in the coming weeks – including 15,400 in Galway.
With the summer season finished, Ireland’s hotels and guesthouses are now reporting a 70% drop in projected revenues for September compared to this time last year.
Bookings for September/October have plunged with average room occupancy levels at 30% in the West.
And this follows a very challenging July and August with average national occupancy at 49%, representing an enormous drop compared the 90% occupancy achieved during these key summer months last year.
Commenting on the results, John Ryan, owner of the Ardilaun Hotel in Salthill and Chair of the Galway branch the Irish Hotels Federation, said that the figures highlight the requirement for further sector specific measures to support Irish tourism.
“Our industry is operating in a quasi-lockdown. The existing supports are totally inadequate for our industry given the current restrictions. If appropriate measures are not put in place, more jobs will be lost,” he said.
“Prior to the COVID crisis, tourism supported 20,900 jobs in Galway, contributing €910m to the local economy. With a predicted revenue loss of €680m, 15,400 of these jobs are now under threat.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
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