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Chamber to tackle low off-season occupancy

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Killarney Chamber of Commerce and Tourism has said that low off-season hotel occupancy is a challenge for its members but one that can be transformed into an opportunity if the right solutions are put in place.

Addressing members last night at the final phase of a consultation process for the Killarney Tourism Economic Impact Review (TEIR 1) report, which is being compiled by W2 Consulting, Chamber President Paul O’Neill said that one of the most surprising aspects of the initial findings was that Killarney trails the national and even regional average in terms of off-season occupancy.

Over 100 members attended the event in the Killarney Avenue Hotel, which finished with members giving their recommendations for growing the economy through tourism and industry generally in Kerry.

“We will be publishing full details of the report in the very near future but suffice to say that our event was a very positive engagement,” O’Neill said. “The key findings were relayed to members and this led to a very positive discussion around how we can take Kerry forward. We’ve not had a report like this done on Killarney before and that was very much evidenced by the energy in the room. With regard to the report itself, while we knew we had off-season challenges, we didn’t quite realise that occupancy rates compared in the way they do with national and regional averages.

“Now that we know where we are, there’s nothing for us to do but treat this an opportunity. Clearly the status quo isn’t working and we’ve already set about addressing it with innovative ways of bringing people in. These include festivals such as the Christmas Festival just gone and the recently announced Killarney Mountain Festival, which takes place on 9th, 10th and 11th of March.

“But there’s also an opportunity here for us to challenge central government and various agencies involved in tourism and industrial promotion to look again at Killarney and match our determination to ensure that the economy of this town and county grows in the shoulder periods of the year.”

Conor Hennigan, Development Manager with the Killarney Chamber, said that there are many assuring aspects from the findings, not least that the report had confirmed tourists’ satisfaction rating with the Killarney experience.

“Ultimately, the research conducted for this report, including interviews with tourists, delivered huge approval ratings in terms of visitor satisfaction levels,” he said. “So we clearly have the product, the service and the capacity. The issues we have are effectively seasonality and regionality and our meeting tonight was about getting the opinion of our members as to what the solutions may be. We got some very interesting insights and they will now become part of the report.”

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Network Ireland Kerry discuss sustainable success

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Network Ireland Kerry held their third annual collaboration event last Wednesday at the Rose Hotel, Tralee. The theme was: “The Journey to Sustainable Success” which brought three industry experts together to talk about their own journey to sustainable successful.

Business professionals, entrepreneurs, and financial leaders came together for this highly anticipated event to learn about the journey from becoming a start-up, to a small-to-medium enterprise (SME), and a large SME.

The event was opened by AIB Branch Liaison for Network Ireland Kerry and AIB Castleisland Branch Manager, Colleen Shannon. It was MC’d by AIB Tralee Branch Manager, Stephen Stack.

Sarah Farrar of AINMHÌ, Garrett Dillon of Mr. Binman and Dillon Waste Ltd. and Susan Quirke-Crowley of Mounthawk Montessori School Group were among the speakers at the event.

These leaders spoke about their challenges, milestones, and breakthroughs they encountered, from launching an idea to scaling operations nationally.

Tara Elzingre of Tara Elzingre Consultancy, Zaneta Labuz-Czerwein of Rustic Boowa and Sharon Hartnett of U Coaching promoted their businesses for ‘Minute on the Mic’

Emily Reen, Network Ireland Kerry President, described the event as a testament to the power of partnership. She said: “The event underscored a powerful message: sustainable business success is not a solo journey. With the right partnerships, teams and financial tools, businesses of all sizes can grow with purpose, resilience, and long-term impact.”

Network Ireland Kerry will host their next monthly event on November 12 in Killarney and in collaboration with the Kerry Local Enterprise Office, titled: “Gain Competitive Advantage in Your Business”. This event will be MC’d by Karen Ronan, 2025 National Vice President of Network Ireland and CEO of Galway Chamber. This event is open to non-members and members, and everyone is welcome from 6 pm for networking and refreshments, with the event taking place from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm.

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Minor injury clinic to open by this time next year

The Killarney Local Injury Clinic is expected to be open by Q3 2026, according to the HSE. The proposed unit will be located on the grounds of St Columbanus Home. […]

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The Killarney Local Injury Clinic is expected to be open by Q3 2026, according to the HSE. The proposed unit will be located on the grounds of St Columbanus Home.

The timeline was confirmed in response to a Parliamentary Question from Fianna Fáil TD Michael Cahill, who said the project will follow the relocation of the Community Nursing Unit from its current site to the grounds of the old St Finan’s Hospital. Once the transfer is complete, construction of the injury clinic can proceed.
Deputy Cahill described the two new health facilities as “a fantastic addition for Killarney and the wider East, Mid, and South Kerry regions” and noted they will help reduce waiting times at University Hospital Kerry A&E.
“I will continue to push for enhanced health services for our people,” added the Fianna Fáil Spokesperson for Older People.
The new clinic is expected to provide urgent care services for local residents, easing pressure on hospital emergency departments and improving access to timely treatment in the Killarney area.

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