In January it was revealed that over 2,000 hotel rooms in Cork city were being used to accommodate refugees from Ukraine and other jurisdictions.
Just this week the Oireachtas Committee on Tourism heard that 32% of all hotel beds outside Dublin are now being used to house refugees, costing €1 billion in lost revenue for non-accommodation tourism
Some counties have more than 50% of all hotel accommodation now booked by the State for non-tourism purposes.
The Department of Integration have confirmed that they have now sourced alternative accommodation for those who are impacted by contracts with hotels ending this week.
Minister Roderic O Gorman confirmed on Tuesday that 800 hotel rooms that were being used to accommodate asylum seekers and refugees would be lost.
However they now say they have secured alternative accommodation for the 1,400 people impacted.
Meanwhile the Department of Integration says another 1,200 asylum seekers will have to leave hotels by mid-April and they say it remains extremely challenging to find enough bed space for the number of refugees and international protection applicants who are continuing to arrive in Ireland on a weekly basis.
