Hoteliers in Mayo are feeling more positive about the industry outlook for 2014, according to new research from the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF ).
The IHF this week released the findings of its quarterly barometre, taken as the summer season opened.
According to the findings, 86 per cent of hotel and guesthouse owners expressed optimism for the rest of the year ahead.
Some 72 per cent of respondents to the survey said they are experiencing an increase in advance summer bookings compared to the same period last year, while four per cent reported a decrease and 24 per cent noted no change.
Despite increased optimism within the sector, the majority of respondents - 81 per cent - expressed renewed concerns about the pressures of their costs, citing excessive local authority rates as a key concern.
Recruitment
The survey also showed the majority of hoteliers are experiencing growth in domestic tourism with a 54 per cent increase in bookings from Great Britain and a 45 per cent increase in bookings from US visitors.
Forty-two per cent of hoteliers said they expect to hire more staff over the next 12 months. However, seven out of 10 respondents said they are experiencing difficulties when it comes to recruiting qualified and entry level staff.
Michael Lennon, chair of the Mayo Branch of the IHF, said that, despite the upturn, there are still many challenges facing the sector, including recruitment issues.
“The hotels’ sector is still a number of years away from achieving sustainability,” he noted.
“Hoteliers are finding it more difficult to find qualified staff for entry level positions and this will significantly hinder the prospect of achieving the target to increase tourism related jobs by in excess of 40,000 between now and 2020.”
He added that the domestic market is performing well and there has been a welcome increase in visitors from the US but he warned that the the industry is still “weighed down” by cost concerns.
In response to this, the IHF is calling for a 30 per cent reduction on local authority rates for hoteliers.
