A LOCAL hotelier who has experienced a drop-off in people staying overnight in the county has said he would be “pessimistic” for the future of tourism as the cost-of-living crisis rolls on.
Terry McCartney, owner of the Belmore Court and Motel in Enniskillen, reports a mixed 2024.
“We got a good bit of corporate business, but the leisure business fell away a little bit which is concerning,” Mr McCartney said.
“I would be more pessimistic. I think the rises in wages and National Insurance will put the squeeze on rates for us and we’d be concerned about the promotion of Fermanagh.”
Fears are continuing to rise among businesses over the future of Fermanagh Lakeland Tourism after the ‘Herald revealed that the Council has discussed the possibility of merging the service.
Fermanagh Lakeland Tourism has grown to include 220 members from both the public and private sectors, working to promote the Fermanagh Lakelands area.
While there has been no clarification from Fermanagh and Omagh District Council on its restructuring plan, business owners are fearing that it will have a negative impact on tourism.
“Better promotion would be a good help. It’s a very crowded marketplace out there and there are so many places to go inside Northern Ireland, never mind outside of it,” said Mr McCartney.
“Business is definitely getting harder. Costs are going up which means that prices are going up and your team needs paid more in order to do a great job. We’ll stick at it and try our very best.”
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