Cork tourism chiefs confident of recovery, but not without help from government

With international and internal travel severely curtailed by the lockdown measures, it is hard to see how the industry will recover without serious financial support from the Government.

Another concern for the sector is how to make travel attractive again.

Cork’s tourist industry leaders are unsure whether people will feel safe travelling when the restrictions are lifted, but are hopeful the Irish public will help them get back on their feet.

They are also concerned that social distancing and the wearing of PPE could disrupt the relaxing experience of staying in a hotel or visiting a tourist attraction.

Fergal Harte, general manager of Cork city’s Kingsley Hotel and the chair of the Cork branch of the Irish Hotels Federation, says the landscape has changed entirely.

Currently, the Kingsley is operating on a skeleton staff, in order to service the fully-occupied apartments on site. The hotel is also being used as accommodation for HSE staff.

"We currently have frontline workers staying with us, so this gives us an insight into what the future holds," said Mr Harte.

Social distancing will be a big part of all of our lives. How do we incorporate it, while still maintaining a relaxing environment is the challenge. We will need to be flexible and adaptable.

The lack of air travel will mean hotels may be targeting Irish guests exclusively. "We will all be looking at the domestic market. It will be a hugely competitive environment. Irish people won’t travel abroad like they normally do."

However, the industry will need a full package of supports from the Government, according to Mr Harte.

"There will have to be a continuation of the supports, as well as a package of further measures, to support the tourism and hotel industry."

Some of the measures the IHF is currently lobbying for include the waiving of local authority rates and water charges, as well as interest free loans for the industry to help boost cash flow.

"And, in terms of taxation, the tourism Vat rate being reduced to 0% for the duration of the crisis, and being restored to 9% on a permanent basis,” said Mr Harte.

Business interruption grants could also ensure smaller hotels and tourist businesses could reopen, he said.

"If we don’t get supports, many businesses will be unable to reopen as it won’t be viable.”

Mr Harte said the IHF is devising a list of standard operating procedures for hotels, so they can meet the new public health guidelines and ensure the safety of staff and guests when they do reopen.

This will include markings on the floor to space out guests by two metres, installing plexiglass barriers at the front desk, and PPE, depending on what the public health advice is.

"We [at the Kingsley] nearly got a head start on this, from dealing with the HSE, we already had to take these measures."

Mr Harte believes these new measures will be here in the long-term, at least until we find a vaccine or treatment. "The safeguarding of public health is the priority, and to ensure our guests feel secure. Hygiene and safety will be paramount."

Seamus Heaney is the director of Visit Cork, Cork’s tourism body consisting of Pure Cork, which promotes leisure tourism, and the Cork Convention Bureau, which promotes business tourism.

He said on March 15, the industry "fell off a cliff".

No hotel was safe. There were no weddings, no conferences, no tourists. For the first few weeks, we were supporting the industry with webinars, especially smaller tourist industries, on how to let staff go.

He said there were roughly 6,000 people in Cork working in the hotel industry, now there are just 400, who are all relying on the government subsidy to pay their wages.

However, he stressed the fallout is not just about hotels. "There is a knock-on effect. Tourists use coach companies and taxis, they visit restaurants, pubs and tourist attractions, they buy local produce."

Getting the Irish to travel internally may also be challenging. "Will they feel safe to travel? Will they want to go to a hotel now? We don’t want it to look like a hospital. It’s supposed to be relaxing, to get away."

Mr Heaney says when Ireland does reopen, everything will have changed.

If the sector has to operate on a reduced capacity, he believes serious support will be needed for the industry, otherwise it won’t survive.

"Outside of a roadmap to reopening, the Government needs to financially support the industry. We cannot let the industry go.

For example, we can’t let the likes of Cork’s Cronin’s Coaches, a family brand that is vital to the tourism sector in Munster, go."

The reduction of flights coming in and out of Cork Airport is also worrying for the region’s economy. "There are only two flights a day. The airlines, the hotels... there will be lots of casualties."

However, the industry is very resilient.

"The positive thing is that the whole world is in this together. It’s not just Ireland.

"Every few years, we are sent something to challenge us. We are very resilient and we always bounced back, whether it was 9/11, SARS, MERS, ash clouds."

Mr Heaney says the most important thing is that Cork is still here, and is looking forward to welcoming tourists and visitors back in time.

Alan O’Callaghan, assistant manager of the Spike Island Development Company, says the shutdown happened very quickly.

"All of a sudden we were closed. But we are remaining optimistic for July and August. We would be good to [reopen] from tomorrow. As soon as we get the go-ahead we will."

The season was over before it began for Spike Island, which is one of Cork’s best known tourist attractions.

"We only had five full days open, so we never really got up and running fully. St Patrick’s weekend is when we would have come back."

There was a period of a few days where no one was on the island, but staff got permission to travel to the island to look after the goats who reside there, as well as to carry out essential maintenance.

"Someone goes over once a week to feed the goats, and a member of the maintenance team cuts the grass. Nature wasn’t long taking over. The island looks fantastic at the moment. It is a pity no one can see it."

The staff are taking this quiet time to plan ahead.

"We got a grant to improve the walkways, and we plan on improving access to the convict’s cemetery. We also want to put a memorial there, so people can take a moment [to reflect]."

Ideally, Mr O’Callaghan would love to see visitors return to Spike Island in July.

"That is dependent on the government guidelines. The island is 280 acres, we should be able to implement social distancing, and make alterations to our guided tours."

He also expects Fáilte Ireland and Visit Cork to push for more domestic tourism this summer, which will hopefully bring a boost to the industry.

"It’s happening already, with people talking about staycations. Hopefully this will benefit everyone, the food and hospitality sector too."

However, the downturn in foreign tourists will be hard and he doesn’t expect much foreign travel for the next 18 months.

“But I think people living in Ireland will bounce back. They will head out to restaurants and tourist attractions."

Mr O’Callaghan also recognises that social distancing is here to stay, and the industry will have to adapt to it in order to entice Irish people out of their homes.

"We have so much to offer the domestic market. Hopefully this recession won’t be the same as the last time. People will have some form of income [government subsidies] and will support their local areas."

He is hopeful that people will want to explore Ireland more, as well as revisiting some holidays they took during their childhood.

"There are so many places to see in Cork, there's plenty on our own doorstep."