Short Term Tourist Letting Registration System Press Conference Government Buildings
December 7th 2022
Thank you, Minister.
Fáilte Ireland welcomes today’s Cabinet approval of this important legislation which will underpin Fáilte Ireland’s Short-Term Tourist Letting Registration System.
The tourism sector cannot and does not exist in isolation of local communities and Fáilte Ireland works to develop tourism in a way that is consistent and complimentary to the needs of host communities economically and socially. This requires the appropriate balance be achieved between accommodation that should be used for long term housing needs and accommodation that is more appropriate for short term tourism letting which provides employment and other economic and social benefits to local communities. In line with the wider communities’ needs for more housing, the tourism industry has highlighted that more residential housing for employees is critical to the development of the sector.
Therefore both in the context of long term sustainable development of tourism and short term tourism staff accommodation challenges, we believe this initiative is not just good news for housing but is also good news for tourism and we were very pleased to work closely with officials in the Departments of Tourism and Housing, and with Ministers Martin and O’Brien on the development of this system under Housing for All.
As part of our work we conducted detailed research into the experience of cities and countries across the world. Based on international best practice we have designed an online registration system which will allow property owners to quickly and easily register their short-term letting properties.
We want to make it as easy as possible for property owners to stay in the tourism industry where appropriate, so we have worked hard to make this registration system simple and user friendly.
There must be a balanced mix of long-term private rental and short-term letting accommodation for tourists. I’m confident we have found that balance in this legislation.
To minimise disruption to the tourism industry, there will be a clarification period of up to 6 months. This will allow property owners operating in the sector, who need to apply change of use planning permission, to continue to offer their accommodation as tourist accommodation while their application is being considered and processed.
Fáilte Ireland will also continue to work with Local Authorities across the country to ensure any housing stock that is not suitable for private housing may continue to be used for tourism purposes.
In conclusion, I’d like to acknowledge the team in Fáilte Ireland led by Director of Sector Development Jenny De Saulles and Head of Registration and Grading Fergal O’Leary.
This new division in Fáilte Ireland has worked tirelessly over the last 12 months on the development of the register and to ensure all registration processes and procedures are in place in advance of the legislation being enacted.
Subject to the passing of legislation we expect to launch Fáilte Ireland’s Short-Term Tourist Letting Registration System in March 2023.
Thank You.
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