Hotels, B&Bs, self-catering accommodation and hostels are have reopened, as the gradual lifting of Covid-19 restrictions on the tourism and hospitality sector begins.
However, services including leisure facilities, as well as indoor restaurants and bars, are restricted to residents only. Around 65,000 people were employed by hotels pre-pandemic, with 270,000 employed in the wider tourism industry.
Fáilte Ireland has estimated that the reopening of tourism and hospitality over the coming weeks will help inject an estimated €1bn extra into the economy over the next few months. "There is now cause for cautious optimism as the roll-out of the vaccination programme gathers pace," said Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin. "The reopening of the