The Irish Travel Agents Association is calling on the Dubin government to clarify if travel agents qualify for aid under new Covid restrictions being imposed across the country on Christmas Eve.
Irish agents are classed as non-essential retail and will be permitted to open under new curbs, with a warning that lockdown could last until early March.
But they have effectively remained closed since March due to fears surrounding the spread of the virus.
The sector has seen activity slump by 95% in the period, with many agents under “huge financial pressure”.
The ITAA is seeking access to the country’s Covid Recovery Support Scheme (CRSS), pointing out that different sectors have received varying levels of government support from following of the pandemic hitting Ireland.
Chief executive Pat Dawson said: “Some sectors have received bespoke special assistance and grants during the course of the pandemic and we are only asking that travel agents are treated in the same way, as we are one of the sectors which has been hit the hardest by the pandemic.
“We are calling on the government to make a clear decision on this, so that we can begin to rebuild our industry.
“Irish people love to travel; as soon as it is declared safe to travel again we believe that consumer confidence will be restored. Until that happens, we need support from government to protect our customers and our businesses.”
He added: “The travel industry has been forced into lockdown for an indefinite period of time due to the outbreak of Covid-19.
“We want to work with government to save lives and keep our families, our staff, our clients and our communities safe, but we also need to preserve our businesses so that we can resume operations when it is safe to do so.
“We are hopeful that with government assistance in the form of the CRSS, we will be able to save the 3,500 jobs that are currently at risk in the Irish travel industry.
“These businesses were viable before the pandemic and I have no doubt that they will continue to be viable after the threat of Covid-19 has passed.”