Govt tourism plan is working: 25% of jobs growth in accommodation & food service sector – Varadkar

A quarter of all employment growth is in the accommodation & food service sector which shows that Government measures to boost tourism continue to produce results, Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar said today.

He was speaking after the CSO published the Quarterly National Household Survey showing 58,000 more people at work in the overall economy by the third quarter of 2013, compared to the same period in 2012. A quarter of these, some 14,700 jobs, were in the accommodation & food sector.

“This Government made tourism growth a priority after the election and brought in a range of innovative measures like the reduced 9% VAT rate on tourism products, The Gathering 2013, and policies to encourage greater air access. These have all helped to create new jobs, stimulate the economy and get people back to work,” Minister Varadkar said.

“In the last Budget we showed our ongoing commitment to tourism by retaining the VAT rate and by suspending the Air Travel Tax. This has provided certainty for the tourism industry and should encourage future investment and growth in the sector in 2014, as we build on the success of The Gathering.”

The Minister also noted positive developments in the Transport and Storage Sector which suggests that the decline in people working in haulage, logistics and other transport related industries has ended.