Fáilte Ireland: extending a helping hand
Across Ireland, tourist attractions are quiet and closed, camping grounds are shut until further notice and events and festivals have been wiped from the calendar – for now. It's a desolate time for the Irish tourism industry, as the worldwide spread of COVID-19 brings with it a nationwide shutdown.
In recognition of the dire straits of tourism operators and business owners, Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, has dropped everything to focus on developing an online support hub for those affected by the pandemic, emphasising that they should not feel alone.
Occurring at a time of year for tourism when cash flow is uncertain and income has ground to a halt, the COVID-19 crisis has presented an enormous challenge for the sector. Much of Fáilte Ireland’s usual promotional activity has been postponed or cancelled, including large travel and tourism trade fairs, marketing campaigns, international media trips and pre-scheduled face to face training programmes.
In a bid to help kerb the damage, Fáilte Ireland has focused all of their resources into helping to rebuild the industry. They have spoken to tourism businesses around Ireland to gauge the support and advice that's most urgently required: in response, a tailored suite of business supports has been developed, which will continue to evolve as the crisis unfolds.
The online hub will include access to advice guides and webinars about managing business liquidity, accessing financial assistance and managing HR risk, managing temporary closure, jumpstarting sales for recovery, accessing Government supports and steps they can take to help ensure the health and safety of their staff and visitors.
According to Fáilte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly, there's an urgent need to prepare for the challenges ahead: “These are truly unprecedented times for the tourism sector across the board and already we are seeing job losses as cash flow and liquidity challenges mount for businesses. As an industry, urgent action is required to help businesses survive during these incredibly challenging times.
“The situation is changing by the day, and so will Fáilte Ireland's business supports so they meet the immediate and urgent needs of tourism and hospitality businesses. Fáilte Ireland is focusing its resources on the challenges and issues here and now, but also, importantly, looking at rebuilding the tourism industry and the vital contributions it makes to Irish society."