Hotels, B&Bs, self-catering accommodation and hostels can reopen from today, as the gradual lifting of Covid-19 restrictions on the tourism and hospitality sector begins.
However, services including leisure facilities as well as indoor restaurants and bars are restricted to residents only. Around 65,000 people were employed by hotels pre-pandemic, with 270,000 employed in the wider tourism industry.
Fáilte Ireland has estimated that the reopening of tourism and hospitality over the coming weeks will help inject an estimated €1 billion extra into the economy over the next few months. The country will not begin reopening to non- essential visitors from overseas until 19 July.
Although hotels are allowed to provide indoor food and beverage services to residents from today, outdoor dining services for restaurants, cafes and pubs will only resume from Monday with indoor dining in such venues not resuming until 5 July.
The Restaurants Association of Ireland has said that no scientific evidence has been provided by the Government explaining why hotels are being treated differently to restaurants and pubs and has threatened to take legal action over the issue.
