Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers have hosted a meeting with five tourism industry leaders in advance of Budget 2025”
- Pat Crotty CEO Vintners Federation of Ireland
- Adrian Cummins CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland
- Paul Gallagher CEO of the Irish Hotels Federation
- Donall O’Keeffe of the Licensed Vintners association
- Eoghan O’Mara Walsh CEO of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation
The collaboration aims to advocate for tourism funding and support in future government budgets, raising issues such as the Dublin airport passenger cap and the reduction of VAT from 13pc to 9pc.
Other challenges facing Irish tourism include decreased overseas visitor expenditure and rising operational costs, compounded by external economic factors.
Ireland’s proposed VAT rate is out of sync with European competitors, such as Germany, which is reducing its rate from 19pc to 7pc.
Irish Hotels Federation CEO Paul Gallagher shared: A restored 9pc VAT rate on food services is deemed essential for addressing cost competitiveness and supporting over 270,000 jobs. More than 70pc of jobs in the hospitality sector are located outside Dublin, contributing to regional growth and economic diversification. Restoring the 9pc rate of VAT on food services is a key priority for our industry in line with the commitments set out in the programme for Government. We are particularly concerned about the ongoing drop in expenditure by overseas visitors, as reported by the CSO today.”
