The government will launch a new stay-and-spend initiative to boost tourism as part of the July stimulus package later today.
People will get money back for holidaying in Ireland in the form of a tax credit or rebate.
Domestic holidaymakers will receive €125 back on roughly €600 spent on accommodation and restaurant bills.
It is the way the Government has decided to proceed with supports for the tourism sector as the July stimulus is to be launched this afternoon, following a cabinet meeting in Dublin Castle.
It is expected both the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and the Temporary Wage Subsidy scheme will be extended until April next year.
The unemployment payment will be reduced in September to €300 a week, and further evaluated early next year. The structure of the wage subsidy scheme is likely to be changed and reduced over time as well.
Minister of State for Trade, Robert Troy, confirms the payments will nFot end at next month's deadline:
“What we’ll see later on today is the commitment to extend the wage subsidy and to ensure that some of the anomalies that have been thrown off in relation to businesses that can avail of that subsidy will be ironed out.
We’ll see an acknowledgement that the restart grants that was introduced previously wasn’t big enough. We’ll see a focus on apprenticeships, retraining, upskilling.”
The stimulus package is expected to be in excess of €7 billion and will include funding for most departments.
It is likely to include significant funds for the retrofitting of schools, colleges and hospitals to allow them to reopen with social distancing guidelines.
There will also be significant business supports in the form of increased restart grants and access to low-cost loans through the credit guarantee scheme.
