Hospitality Ulster Says Hospitality Sector Shutdown Will Cost NI At Least £100m Per Month

By Dave Simpson
Hospitality Ulster Says Hospitality Sector Shutdown Will Cost NI At Least £100m Per Month

Hospitality Ulster has said that the shutdown of hospitality venues will cost the Northern Irish economy at least £100 million per month.

The Belfast Telepgraph quotes Hospitality Ulster chief executive Colin Neill as saying, "If you take it that the latest figure I've seen that we've been getting drawn up says the hospitality sector in Northern Ireland contributes something in the region of £1.4 billion to £1.5 billion per year, well, shut us for six months and you can pretty much divide that in two and then some, because we'll not switch back on at full pelt again.

"Thinking of a worst case scenario of six months like this, that's really where we are ­- you are talking at least £100 million a month."

Jobs In Jeopardy

Neill added, "Paramount is the nation's health and our staff's health and all those things, but also an important link to health is a job and mental health and getting back to work.

"It sustains 65,000 jobs, so again all of those jobs are in jeopardy.

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"Obviously with what the prime minister and the chancellor have done, we expect to save a lot of jobs, but I think somewhere in there that there will be casualties."

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