Tourism Industry
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-28
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Michael Cahill (FF), Kerry

Tourism in Kerry is the lifeblood of our local economy. From Dingle to Cahersiveen, from Killarney to Ballyheigue, from Kenmare to Ballybunion, from Glenbeigh to Listowel, from Valentia Island to Tralee and right across the county, thousands of jobs and small businesses depend directly on a strong and stable flow of overseas visitors. That stability is under threat. We are seeing the early impacts of global aviation disruption, driven by the conflict involving Iran and rising jet fuel costs. Airlines are already scaling back. Lufthansa announced 20,000 flight cuts. We have seen reductions from Aer Lingus while others are adding fuel surcharges. For an island nation like ours that predominantly depends on air access, fewer flights mean reduced capacity, higher fares and, ultimately, fewer visitors.
The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation has signalled the earlier growth projection of 5% to 7% this year is unlikely to be met. For Kerry, even a small drop in overseas visitors has a disproportionate impact. We are a premium tourism destination but also a peripheral one. We rely heavily on connectivity through our regional airports and on visitors making the additional journey beyond Dublin.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-28/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:52+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-28