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With Irish tourism’s volume and value having collapsed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the long road to recovery has only finally commenced, says a report from ITIC.

"Despite the war in Ukraine, business inflation and labour shortages, there is a degree of cautious optimism that pent-up demand combined with the speedy restoration of much of the air access links and industry resilience can see a positive 2022. As difficult as the pandemic was – estimated to have cost Irish tourism and hospitality businesses as much as €12.2 billion – it also presents an opportunity to reimagine Irish tourism for the years ahead. In that context, being a sustainable industry is of most concern, and sustainability across the three spheres of commercial, social and environmental is what matters," the report says.

An Post has unveiled four new stamps celebrating the most important meal of the day – breakfast. The new stamps also support the Irish tourism and hospitality sector’s world-renowned reputation for giving tourists a warm Irish welcome and serving delicious food.

Designed by Irish illustrator Ailbhe Phelan, the Irish breakfast stamps feature a range of Irish breakfast options including a fresh fruit smoothie; a twist on the continental option with Irish soda bread, jam and honey; a comforting bowl of porridge with seasonal fruits; and of course, the iconic "Full Irish".

The Minister for Tourism has said she is pressing for the temporarily reduced VAT rate for tourism and hospitality to be extended further.

Introduced to help assist the recovery of the sectors, the 9% rate is due to return to 13.5% at the end of August. However, Catherine Martin said the issue is ultimately one for the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe.

"I will be pressing for it, but like everything in relation to how we respond to the crisis and how it impacts on tourism, I think that if it alters the tourism world, it will have to be considered in the context of the budgetary cycle," she said.

After two years of virtual events, Tourism Ireland is getting back to live, in-person sales missions to the United States once again. Tourism Ireland, together with a delegation of 14 tourism companies from Ireland and five American tour operators, is undertaking a sales blitz to the US this week – meeting, and doing business with, hundreds of travel agents in Boston, New York, Washington DC and Chicago.

The schedule includes a B2B event in each city, with an interactive presentation showcasing Ireland – giving the participating companies a platform to promote and sell their products and services to the key American decision-makers in attendance. It also includes opportunities for networking with key travel and lifestyle journalists and influencers.