Latest news with #IrishHotelsFederation
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Irish tourism feels the pinch of negative data
Eight months after the first cracks in Irish tourism began to show – at least from a statistical point of view – it looks like things are finally improving. But is more trouble afoot? Last September, results from the Central Statistics Office 's (CSO) Inbound Tourism series showed the number of those arriving into Ireland had dropped year on year by 0.7 per cent. A blip? It appeared not – the same metric continued to slide, down 5.1 per cent in October and continuously over the following months, reaching a nadir of 30 per cent down last February. If the industry was getting concerned, it was also getting confused. One only had to look at bookings on the ground, the hospitality sector began to say, to see something wasn't quite right with the CSO's numbers. READ MORE What followed was a sort of polite standoff between the statisticians and tourism bodies. Meetings were held, numbers were crunched, dissenting views were aired. The CSO, for its part, defended its data gathering, highlighting its characteristically robust methods and independently reviewed systems. [ CSO meets tourism industry over 'confusing' visitor data Opens in new window ] But as things neared fever pitch, the fever broke. Data for April , published this week, showed another decline, certainly – down 4 per cent year-on-year – but also indications of recovery. Michael Magner, president of the Irish Hotels Federation , said while there was still a discrepancy between the published figures and industry data, April's were 'more aligned with what businesses have been reporting on the ground'. Hotels, he noted, saw average room occupancy rates of 77 per cent in April compared with 74.5 per cent for the same month last year, as well as a 2 per cent increase in bookings for the first four months of the year. Tourism activity appeared to be holding up. But then another set of numbers kept the champagne corks firmly in place. [ Irish hotels to join landmark Europe-wide legal action against Opens in new window ] 'We are concerned about the overall drop in tourism spend which the CSO are reporting for April, down 10 per cent,' Magner said in a swift addendum to the positive observation on visitor rates. 'This would appear to be part of a wider trend so far this year, according to CSO figures. If this continues into the summer, it would pose an enormous challenge.' Visitor spend was down 22 per cent in March, 31 per cent in February, and 28 per cent in January. In fact, one would have to go back to October to see an increase. If it's not visitors, it's how much they part with – what might May bring?
The Journal
4 days ago
- Business
- The Journal
Business as usual: Hoteliers chief confident despite further drop in tourism figures
NEW FIGURES RELEASED today by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) indicate a drop in the number of tourists entering Ireland in April compared to the same month last year. It comes after CSO data for the month of February showed a one-third decline in visitors versus 2024, though prominent tourism bodies were hesitant to view the findings as a damning indictment of the industry. Numbers visiting Ireland reduced by 15% in March to 441,200, compared to the same period last year, a trending decline in foreign visitor numbers first observed in September 2024. Last month, UK tourists accounted for 41% of travellers into the country, while Americans made up 18%, with the majority (40%) of the total coming for holiday purposes. Irish tourism advocates have pointed to a range of issues behind the trend, including economic uncertainty given political instability in the US, cost of living issues in the UK and Europe, and prices in Ireland. Today's numbers show 528,100 foreign visitors came to Ireland last month, a 4% drop on April of last year, but a 14% increase on 2023. Advertisement Notably, these visitors spent €375 million on their travels here, 10% less than in April 2024. The data was collected from around 13,000 departing passengers at Irish ports and airports. However, the new figures are not entirely representative of the state of the industry as a whole, according to the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF). Its president, Michael Magner, says there is a discrepancy between the figures and the reality borne out on the ground. 'Our own industry figures, for example, show that hotels achieved average room occupancies of 77% in April compared with 74.5% for the same month last year,' Magner said. 'Meanwhile we have seen a 2% increase in bookings for the first four months of the year. 'From an industry perspective, this would suggest that overall tourism activity continues to hold up so far in 2025, despite the significant difficulties faced by tourism and hospitality businesses.' Magner also expressed concern at the recorded 10% drop in tourist spend, a trend he says projects an 'enormous' challenge to the hospitality industry at large which he attributes to 'unsustainable increases in the cost of doing business right across our industry'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Irish hotels to join 'unprecedented' legal action against Booking.com
More than 900 Irish hotels have joined a landmark legal action against online travel agency over what they say were inflated rates of commission imposed for two decades. Joining with hotels across Europe, the group is seeking 'substantial financial compensation' from following a judgment from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) last September, which found that the platform's so-called parity clauses breached EU competition law. This judgement has binding effect across all EU members states. It is estimated that over 900 Irish hotels and guesthouses are eligible to join this legal action, having been negatively impacted by use of anti-competitive parity clauses that were in effect from 2004 to 2024, the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) has said. These clauses placed hotels and their customers at a significant competitive disadvantage by suppressing price competition between and other online platforms, IHF added, which resulted in hotels being charged inflated commission rates. The legal action will also argue that the clauses restricted hotels from offering better prices or availability on their own websites, limiting direct sales and autonomy. "Under the general principles of European competition law, hotels in Ireland and across Europe are now entitled to claim compensation from for the financial losses suffered," the IHF said. "Affected hotels may be eligible to recover a significant portion of commissions paid to in any period from 2004 to 2024 plus interest." Paul Gallagher, chief executive of the IHF said: "This is an unprecedented legal action which the Irish Hotels Federation is supporting on behalf of members, seeking to obtain full compensation for hotels affected by anti-competitive practices. "The platform's parity clauses have been a major issue for Irish hotels going back twenty years, resulting in significant financial harm due to the inflated levels of commissions charged. "We see this as an important opportunity to send a strong message to online booking platforms that unfair business practices will not go unchallenged.' The collective legal action is being supported by the European hospitality association and over 25 national hotel associations across Europe. It is being brought before the Amsterdam District Court in the Netherlands, where BV is headquartered. In addition to the Irish Hotels Federation, the action is supported by national hotel associations from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland.
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Nearly 1,000 Irish hotels and guesthouses can seek damages from Booking.com in pricing row
Last year, the European Court of Justice ruled that so-called parity clauses imposed by between 2006 and 2024 prevented hotels from offering lower prices or better availability through other channels and that they violated EU competition rules. These clauses led to additional commissions, suppressed direct bookings and distorted online market competition. which is headquartered in Amsterdam, had argued that such clauses were required to prevent consumers from being able to search for their hotels on its website, but then make their reservations on a hotel's website if the price was cheaper there. If the reservations were not made via it couldn't charge a fee for its intermediary service, while hotels effectively still advertised over its platform. Now the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) has joined hotels across Europe in support of a collective legal action against 'Hotels are seeking substantial financial compensation for damages resulting from inflated commission rates charged by the platform,' the IHF notes. It estimates that 900 hotels and guesthouses in Ireland are eligible to join the legal action. The IHF is already in contact with all those venues it believes were affected by the practice. The collective legal action is being supported by the European hospitality association Hotrec and more than 25 national hotel associations across Europe, said the IHF. It added: 'Under the general principles of European competition law, hotels in Ireland and across Europe are now entitled to claim compensation from for the financial losses suffered. 'Affected hotels may be eligible to recover a significant portion of commissions paid to in any period from 2004 to 2024 plus interest.' Paul Gallagher, the chief executive of the Irish Hotels Federation, said the legal action being taken in Amsterdam against is 'unprecedented'. 'The platform's parity clauses have been a major issue for Irish hotels going back 20 years, resulting in significant financial harm due to the inflated levels of commissions charged,' he said 'We see this as an important opportunity to send a strong message to online booking platforms that unfair business practices will not go unchallenged.'
