A spokesperson for the Coach Tourism & Transport Council of Ireland (CTTC), the representative body for Ireland's coach touring companies and private bus operators, has said that it will be 2022 before the sector recovers.
Feargal Barton told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that while there might be a small recovery towards the end of the year for some operators, the larger companies who rely on tour groups and conferences, will not resume business until next year.
The sector generates €400 million per year he said and provides employment for 11,500 direct staff which made the Business Continuity support vital and necessary for the remainder of 2021.
There were no coach tours in the country at present, said Mr Barton, which meant that smaller, peripheral tourism businesses were also being impacted. “Coaches bring tourists to locations, all those extras are being hit at the moment.”
It was important that coach companies be allowed to survive and to do that they needed support, he said.
The pandemic had been “devastating” for staff, he said. Any changes would be too late for this year as tour groups and conferences needed longer lead in times. “So many cancelled for this year, it will be 2022 before there’s any recovery.”
