Minister Catherine Martin has said that she does not expect any changes to be made to the roadmap for the reopening of hospitality in June.
At present, outdoor dining and drinks are set to return on June 7 with no time limit, requirement for a substantial meal or maximum capacity of 15 people per premise.
At present, Martin is confident that outdoor dining and drinking will return as planned on June 7.
The Minister for Tourism has also said that the Government is considering the introduction of extra financial supports to help those pubs that do not serve food and who want to serve customers outside.
Speaking with RTE, Minister Martin said: ""It is more complex than the dining, but I am confident progress is being made and hopeful that very shortly there will be an announcement that will be of benefit to thousands of wet pubs across the country in relation to supports," she said.
In March, the Government provided €17m in funds where grants of up to €4,000 were given to hotels, cafes, restaurants and attractions where food is sold.
The intention was for these premises to develop their outdoor facilities but traditional pubs were disappointed to be excluded from this scheme.
Minister Martin has said she's hopeful that indoor dining and pubs can resume in July, but only if the prevailing public health situation would allow it to happen.
Martin was speaking this afternoon at the launch of Fáilte Ireland’s new €4million domestic marketing campaign to promote the tourism industry.
Fáilte Ireland’s ‘Keep Discovering’ campaign aims to drive domestic holidays for the remainder of the year and help to reboot and rebuild Ireland’s tourism industry.
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media said: “I very much welcome this new campaign by Fáilte Ireland which will drive much needed and sustained footfall to local tourism and hospitality businesses as they reopen over the coming weeks. Pre-Covid domestic tourism was worth €2.5billion to our economy. It is critical, now more than ever, that we holiday at home so jobs can be restored and revenue regained in the tourism sector across our communities and counties.
This campaign will have a wide reach and I am confident domestic holidays will play a critical role in our national recovery. We can all play our part in helping to rebuild tourism by enjoying our country’s endless beauty and our world-famous hospitality, attractions and activities.”
