Agencies spend double the amount claimed on Stay and Spend scheme

LUXURIOUS: Adare Manor. Scheme was designed to stimulate hospitality sector

Hugh O'Connell

Almost double the amount consumers have reclaimed on the Stay and Spend Tax Credit initiative has been spent by two State agencies on marketing and administering the scheme.

The scheme was introduced at the beginning of October last year to stimulate the Covid-hit hospitality sector by giving consumers a tax credit of up to €125 if they booked holiday accommodation in Ireland and dined in pubs and restaurants around the country. But less than three weeks after its launch, the scheme became effectively defunct when the country entered Level 5 restrictions for five weeks.