Fáilte Ireland’s COVID business support group

FÁILTE Ireland has made a number of recommendations to the government in relation to supports for tourism and the hospitality sector.

The national tourism development authority has also established a special business supports taskforce, the purpose of which is to focus solely on supporting the tourism industry during the COVID-19 crisis.

The recommendations made by Fáilte Ireland to the government include measures to support business sustainability and employment, as well as initiatives designed to kick-start demand.

Fáilte Ireland is working closely with tourism businesses to provide advice on drawing down government support packages; cash-flow management and liquidity; and managing cancellations and supplier relationships.

At the beginning of March, Fáilte Ireland established a COVID-19 advisory group that is comprised of industry and government officials.

Fáilte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly said the body fully supports Minister Shane Ross and Minister Brendan Griffin’s proposals for immediate measures to stabilise cash flow, liquidity and working capital for tourism and hospitality businesses.

“We are looking at a wide range of supports, and those discussions are ongoing. Government acknowledges the urgency in providing the supports for the industry which are needed in a matter of days,” said Mr Kelly.

“It is important to acknowledge that while this is a deeper crisis for the industry than any other, the Irish tourism industry has shown itself to be incredibly resilient and will bounce back,” added Mr Kelly.

Much of Fáilte Ireland’s usual activity has been postponed or cancelled; Fáilte Ireland’s new domestic marketing campaign, “Keep Discovering”, has been paused; tourism information centres throughout the country have been closed; all international media trips to Ireland have been postponed; and all scheduled face-to-face training programmes and workshops have been cancelled and will now take place online.