
Hoteliers Welcome Minister Burke
The Irish Hotels Federation President, Michael Magner, congratulated Peter Burke, TD on being named Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.
He said:
“On behalf of hotels and guesthouses throughout the country, I would like to congratulate Peter Burke on his appointment and expanded remit covering tourism. He has been a strong supporter of Irish tourism during his career to date, and we look forward to continuing to work with him and his colleagues in Government to address the challenges now facing our industry. With the right policies in place, we believe that tourism and hospitality have a bright future.”
Commenting on the repositioning of the sector within a reconfigured Department of Enterprise and Tourism, Mr Magner said:
“This is a very welcome development and will facilitate a more joined-up and coherent approach to best support tourism businesses. It will also ensure a greater focus on creating the optimum conditions for business viability and maximising our potential as a key driver of growth and prosperity.”
Mr Magner welcomed the commitment as part of the programme for Government to bring forward measures to support SMEs within the hospitality sector. He said:
“We see enormous opportunities for further growth and development of tourism and hospitality. A permanent reduction in the rate of VAT for food service businesses would be a very welcome and important first step. This would greatly assist the many vulnerable food-led businesses that have faced an uncertain future and mounting cost challenges in recent years.”