A total of 50% of all tourism beds in Donegal are now being used for humanitarian accommodation for refugees.
The statistic was given to an Irish parliamentary committee yesterday.
Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, chief executive at the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, revealed the figures as tourism leaders in Ireland have called for “a more balanced approach” to housing refugees.
They were giving evidence to an Irish parliamentary committee which heard that 32% of tourist beds outside Dublin are now being used for humanitarian accommodation.
However, in Donegal that figure is 50% with an increasing number of hotels and bed and breakfasts being used to house refugees on a long-term basis.
Mr O’Mara Walsh said the industry had been prepared to play its part, but the supply of tourist accommodation was now “seriously compromised”.
That was echoed by Paul Kelly, chief executive of Fáilte Ireland, who said the sector “desperately” needs hotel rooms to be returned to tourism as quickly as possible.
Official statistics suggest about 75,000 people have come to Ireland to escape the war in Ukraine, with non-Ukrainian asylum seekers also increasing.
Mr Kelly said the biggest industry concern was about the impact on non-accommodation businesses like visitor attractions and activity providers.
He said the knock-on effect of reduced tourist beds could see those businesses experiencing a €1bn (£878m) drop in revenues this year.
He told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media that inbound travel agents have said many visitors who want to come to Ireland are now booking other countries because they cannot find accommodation.
He added that the lack of supply “creates conditions that facilitate pricing practices that put Ireland’s long-term reputation at risk”.
Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, told members that there would likely be insufficient hotel space available over the summer period.
Mr Gibbons said that there was significant pent up demand.
Tourism sector ‘should not be primary provider of accommodation’
Chief Executive of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation said the tourism sector should play its part in a humanitarian response to refugees but that it should not be the primary provider of accommodation.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Eoghan O’Mara Walsh said the current situation, whereby hotel and B&B accommodation is being used for refugee accommodation, is having a very negative knock-on effect for other tourism businesses.
Mr O’Mara Walsh said “downstream” tourism businesses, like attractions, restaurants, shops and cafes are suffering and losing out on “the tourism dollar”.
“This is of great concern,” he said.
“You will unfortunately be facing a situation this summer, where tourism towns up and down the length and breadth of the country will have a shortage of tourism beds and therefore there will be very little tourism activity. The accommodation providers will be okay because they will get remuneration from the government of a certain level. But the downstream tourism businesses will be the ones that suffer.”
Mr O’Mara Walsh said that around 12% to 15% of bedrooms should be allocated to refugees and asylum seekers but that the Government needs to be more comprehensive in terms of other types of accommodation.
There is an onus on the Government to be more creative and balanced, he said.
