A General Election having been called in Ireland, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) has issued a Tourism Manifesto in support of investment in and growth of the Irish tourism industry.

Recommendations for the Irish Government include:

• Return tourism VAT rate to 9%
• Address soaring cost of insurance for tourism and hospitality businesses
• Create positive incentives for businesses to reduce carbon emissions, keep Airport Departure Tax suspended
• Immediately increase investment in tourism by 20M euro
• Double the proposed 300M euro capital investment in tourism infrastructure over the next 10 years
• Provide a Brexit fund for the tourism industry

And also:

"Tourism must get improved cabinet recognition as a key economic sector of the country, tourism agencies and industry must work closely together, visas should be provided for non-EU workers to fill labour gaps, and the quality of the Irish tourism product must be supported at all times including an exemption for bona fide self-catering holiday homes from restrictive short-term housing legislation. "