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By Sean Moriarty

Killarney hoteliers are predicting a good summer following a surge in bookings in recent weeks. The latest industry survey by the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) shows early signs that hotels in certain parts of the country are beginning to see an uplift in bookings for July and August.

The South West region reports a 35% hotel occupancy for July and 33% for August.

This is above the national average of 23% for July and 21% for August and a slight improvement on the March average which reported booking levels of just 22% for July and 20% in August nationally.

The surge in bookings came after last week’s announcement by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin around the potential reopening of hotels in a few weeks’ time.

“Staycations were a real positive last summer and we expect booking levels to continue to rise over the coming weeks," Bernadette Randles, Chair of the Kerry branch of the Irish Hotels Federation, said. "Not surprisingly, as indicated by our latest survey, we would expect to see stronger demand in coastal areas, popular tourism destinations and hotels offering packages and facilities for families. This is reflected in the South West, including Kerry, where occupancy levels at 35% for July are slightly ahead of the national average. There is excellent value available. Guests should contact hotels directly to find out what special offers are available and shop around."

The IHF survey was carried out on April 6-8 and the results are based on the response of 330 properties with 32,850 guest rooms spread across the country.