Reacting to the NI Executive announcement that hotels in Northern Ireland will be allowed to reopen for accommodation from 20th July, Hospitality Ulster CEO Colin Neill said;
“It goes without saying that today’s announcement is welcome news for our hotels, not to mention another step on the road to responsibly adapting to a ‘new normal’ in a post COVID-19 society.
“Whilst we welcome today’s announcement, the fact remains that both the bars and restaurants in hotels and our pubs and restaurants are still without a reopening date.
“We believe all businesses should be reopened based on safety, not what they sell. The Hospitality Industry in Northern Ireland is continuing to plan and prepare exhaustive measures to ensure the welfare of their staff, customers and the wider community above all else.
“The Northern Ireland hospitality industry was already diligent, safety driven and socially responsible long before COVID-19, and should not be judged on memories of what came before, but rather the safe working plans for a new way of doing business.
“As we await the full details with regard to the hotels opening, we once again call on the NI Executive to build on today’s announcement by giving the rest of our hospitality businesses a date to work towards.”
