The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) has expressed ‘serious concerns’ about the ongoing drop in tourism expenditure by overseas visitors.
According to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), there has been a 9% drop in expenditure by overseas visitors in August compared to the same month last year.
The association warned this week that the decline is part of a broader trend, with overseas expenditure down over 13% year to date.
“Despite hopes for a reversal in this trend during the peak summer months, the situation has continued to deteriorate,” said Paul Gallagher, IHF chief executive.
“We have continued to see a softening in revenue year on year. This is part of a worrying decline in wider visitor spend throughout our tourism industry, as indicated by recent CSO figures.”
The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) is the national organisation of the hotel and guesthouse sector in Ireland. It represents over 900 hotels and guesthouses nationwide.
“Tourism businesses the length and breadth of the country now find themselves operating under an increasingly challenging environment while struggling to deal with unsustainable increases in business costs,” said Paul Gallagher.
“It is now essential that the Government takes decisive action to put Irish tourism and hospitality on a more stable footing.”