*The Auburn Lodge is among the hotels in the county accommodating refugees.
CLARE’S TOURISM ECONOMY has experienced “a significant loss” with the repurposing of hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses for accommodating International Protection Applicants.
Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman (GP) has been contacted by the Clare Tourism Advisory Forum which is the representative body for the tourism industry in Co Clare, on the matter.
“Serious concern” has been voiced by personnel operating within the local tourism and hospitality sector which has prompted the Clare Tourism Advisory Forum to contact Minister O’Gorman.
In the correspondence obtained by The Clare Echo, Vice Chairperson of the Clare Tourism Advisory Forum, Maurice Walsh appealed to the Minister “to explore all possible opportunities for ensuring accommodation provided to International Protection Applicants and those seeking temporary protection is more evenly dispersed across the country, instead of being heavily concentrated in western counties such as County Clare that are reliant on tourism”.
According to the Clare Tourism Advisory Forum, there has been a thirty seven percent reduction in the number of available bed nights in County Clare due to the repurposing of hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses.
Walsh stated that this “has resulted in a significant loss to the local tourism economy and has, consequently, impacted County Clare’s competitiveness”.
He added, “The County Clare tourism sector is robust, and the lengthy track record of local operators working together to promote and develop our industry has been instrumental in partly offsetting the impact of reduced bed nights in County Clare”.
Maurice who is the General Manager of Durty Nellys in Bunratty outlined, “With a view to easing the accommodation shortage in the Clare hospitality sector and in support of the Government’s programme of sourcing appropriate accommodation for international protection applicants and those seeking international protection, the Clare Tourism Advisory Forum respectfully requests your government to intensify efforts to audit and repurpose State-owned properties for accommodation. This includes all properties under the remit of the Defence Forces, the Office of Public Works, Department of Transport, Department of Education along with other governmental departments and State Agencies”.
“While Clare tourism operators acknowledge the unprecedented crisis facing Europe and Ireland’s international obligations to accommodate International Protection Applicants and those seeking temporary protection, we feel that the County Clare hospitality sector has contributed more than most other parts of Ireland and that efforts to reduce the dependence on accommodation providers in tourism-reliant counties would be welcomed,” he added.
