EDITORIAL: Challenging summer for Mayo’s tourism industry

Earlier this month, we reported that Ireland West Airport was the wettest and coldest location in Ireland for the month of July. Sadly, it looks like a repeat may be on cards for August as the rain continues to fall across the county on Monday afternoon.
August is traditionally the busiest month of the year for tourism providers across Mayo, but worryingly a combination of factors could mean that summer 2024 may turn out to be a damp squib.
We are now three weeks into the month of August and the trend now of schools returning in late August means that most families now have their holidaying done and are preparing for the routine of the winter months.
Here in Mayo, we are heavily reliant on families enjoying the outdoors and amenities like the Wild Atlantic Way, but the weather has not been all that conducive to activities like cycling and walking, and tourism operators have seen their numbers affected as a result.
Since Covid, the full recovery of Irish tourism has become of immense importance to the Irish economy. Pre-pandemic the industry employed 270,000 people, was worth €9.5 billion annually to the economy, and over €2 billion was returned to the exchequer in direct tourism-related taxes.

Pre-Budget submission
In its pre-Budget submission, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) has said it and its members are determined that Irish tourism will fully recover, stating that Budget 2025 is a key staging post in enabling this journey.
Last year ITIC outlined its vision for Irish tourism and set an ambitious goal of growing revenue by 50 percent over today’s levels by 2030 whilst at the same time being mindful of its environmental obligations. ITIC says the industry’s commitment and determination to achieve this remains undimmed, despite external challenges and internal pressures.
However, like all industries, success has to be enabled by a supporting environment set down by Government. In this regard, Budget 2025 and the subsequent general election are of significant importance. The ITIC wants to see a return of the 9 percent VAT rate, a reduction in capacity blockages, and the restoration of tourism funding. These, it says, are all critical steps toward enabling the industry to prosper for the benefit of business, employment and the exchequer.
The Government, of course, cannot control the weather, but it can put steps in place to help the tourism industry. Indeed, it will come under increasing pressure in the coming weeks to do so by introducing measures designed to stimulate the industry.
While it would be naïve to think there is a quick fix, the Irish tourism’s importance to the Irish economy cannot be underestimated, and the Government has a duty to help this recovery by implementing the measures requested by ITIC.