With Killarney set to lose significant tourism revenues this summer in so-called downstream business, some of those who spoke out about the impact of diverting hotel beds to emergency accommodation a year ago can point to how right they were.
The closure of three cafes in the Co Kerry town and slower footfall than normal in souvenir shops and bars has been evidence since thousands of tourist beds were deployed last year to provide shelter for more than 2,000 Ukrainians and a further 1,000 asylum seekers.
A planning crackdown by Kerry County Council on Airbnbs and short-term tourist letting in Killarney – the entire Killarney Municipal District to the Cork border is a designated rent pressure zone – has made accommodation even scarcer.
Four of the larger Killarney hotels are now accommodating refugees along with a number of hostels and several large guesthouses and self-catering accommodation. The exact number of premises is not known and even the local authority does not have an exact up to date record.
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While local people have been very welcoming to the new arrivals, the effect on business is indisputable. According to figures given to Ministers last week analysing the situation in 20 towns around the country, Killarney was experiencing the greatest impact of all tourist destinations in Ireland due the diversion of hotel beds to emergency accommodation. There was a drop in tourism revenue to April this year for the Co Kerry town estimated at more than €100 million – with 2,722 jobs displaced locally.
Hotelier Bernadette Randles, who has just stepped down as chair of the Kerry branch of the Irish Hotels Federation, said the hotel sector itself would not be down in business this summer and would be “at capacity”. However restaurants, bars and taxis, particularly on the Ring of Kerry, would be hit, she said.
“We need the Government to take responsibility for this... and information should be shared so people can get a better idea. We need facts not fiction,” she added.
The hotel sector was feeling pressure from rising costs as well as a lack of staff accommodation.
[ Up to 10,000 tourism jobs displaced due to hotel bed shortages, Ministers toldOpens in new window ]
A recent council meeting heard how because of the demand for beds from both refugees and tourists there was now no emergency accommodation in Killarney for local families, and school-going children and their families facing eviction must go to Tralee. Traditional accommodation was no longer available in Killarney to the council, a senior official said.
Niall O’Callaghan, an Independent Killarney councillor whose family operate the Failte Hotel in College Street, said no one was speaking up for the struggling smaller business, the jarvey, the taxi driver or the souvenir shop owner.
Mr O’Callaghan said he had predicted last year there would be a sharp fall in revenue if hundreds of tourism beds were diverted to emergency accommodation and took no satisfaction from being proven right. “I was not being negative. I think Killarney is the best town in the world and everyone should come here. I welcome Ukrainians but someone needs to speak up for the smaller sectors that are so badly hit.”
He said the crackdown on the Airbnb sector in Killarney meant much of that short-term letting and self-catering was also now gone. This had an effect on restaurants and bars. “The Government need to think outside the box. Get rid of the rent pressure zones, get rid of the self-catering and Airbnb crackdown and open it up.”