The number of contracted bed spaces used for asylum seekers and refugees has decreased by 15% since last May. This decline, attributed to a government strategy aiming for a more sustainable accommodation model, signifies a potential return of tourism-related bed spaces. While the reduction in contracted beds provides a positive outlook for the tourism sector, the estimated loss of €400 million to €670 million in revenue highlights the ongoing challenges.
The number of contracted bed spaces used to accommodate asylum seekers and refugees has fallen in recent months. The number of beds under government contract for asylum seekers and refugees has fallen by 15 per cent since last May, according to new figures.
“An increase in available bed capacity for 2025 is good news, particularly for downstream businesses like visitor attractions, activity providers and hospitality businesses, and it also gives domestic and international visitors more choice for the year ahead,” chief executive Paul Kelly told The Irish Times. As of last November, there were 65,457 beds under contract which, despite the reduction, is estimated to cost the tourism sector between €400 million and €670 million in lost revenue.The fall-off is in line with Government strategy to move toward a more sustainable accommodation model. “Last year, one of the big challenges facing the tourism sector was bed capacity and these newly published figures outline a material improvement ... in the number of registered bed spaces available for visitors in Ireland,” Mr Kelly said. “This is welcome news for the sector. Last year we had feedback from tour operators and overseas buyers that we were missing out on valuable bookings as they could not secure accommodation.”According to Fáilte Ireland, 7 per cent of all registered bed stock now remains under contract, though this has come down from 10 per cent during the period. However, it said the 7 per cent figure “may understate the real impact for every FI registered bed under contract there is up to one more bed in unregistered tourism related sites”. The agency has said this relative uncertainty highlighted the need for a “fully inclusive” register of tourist accommodation. It has long flagged its concerns around the disappearance of hotel accommodation to alternative uses. As well as diminishing stock, particularly in mid-market properties, the agency has said it leads to higher prices due to the resulting supply-demand imbalance. It noted a fall-off in international group bookings as well as knock-on effects in other economic sectors as a result of reduced tourism footfall and local spending. Last February, Fáilte Ireland said there was an “urgent need” for government to adopt a “more balanced approach” to the Ukraine refugee crisis, given a quarter of the State’s tourist accommodation had been rendered unavailable. The recent decline in the use of tourism-related bed spaces is understood to relate to, at least in part, a move towards a more sustainable system of accommodation provision that would also return capacity to the tourism sector. A Government accommodation strategy for international protection, agreed last year, is currently being implemented. It looks to a blended model of developing facilities on State-owned land, the acquisition of private properties as well as office and other conversions. A spokeswoman for the Department of Integration said there had been a “significant reduction” in the use of tourist accommodation, including hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses, as it moved toward a more sustainable model
Tourism ASYLUM SEEKERS REFUGEES ACCOMMODATION SUSTAINABILITY TOURISM GOVERNMENT POLICY
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