The chairperson of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Ms Breeda Moynihan-Cronin TD, has written to the Taoiseach outlining her case for an extra bank holiday.
The Kerry South TD said in the letter that provided there were no cases of foot-and-mouth after April 19th, the Taoiseach should be in a position to declare a date for an extra bank holiday. "I would envisage that a date in July or September, months in which there are no bank holidays, would be appropriate," she says.
Ireland already has fewer bank holidays than other European countries, she says. (Ireland has 10, the UK 12, France 13 and Germany 14.) Therefore the business and employers' sector could not very well object to the idea, she argues.
The bank holiday would provide an opportunity to host St Patrick's Day parades, and would "act as a badly needed boost for the tourism industry", Ms Moynihan-Cronin says.
The idea is supported by the Minister for Tourism, Dr McDaid, who is keen to declare an Ireland Day either on a special once-off bank holiday or on an existing bank holiday weekend, a spokesperson said. He will be discussing the suggestion with business interests.
The call for an extra bank holiday this year as a reward to the public for their compliance with the foot-and-mouth restrictions is, however, unlikely to be supported by the tourism sector.
The Irish Hotels' Federation says it would not support the idea. The three bank holidays coming up - Easter, May and June - are "sufficient to stimulate the home market", IHF president Ms Mary Fitzgerald says.
Because bookings are down significantly in the south and western regions for the upcoming Easter bank holiday weekend, she has appealed to the home holidaymaker to contact accommodation providers for information on a range of alternative activities such as road walking that are taking place in areas where national and forest parks are closed.
Hotels are struggling to keep staff, they face stiff competition from other industries, and many hoteliers have been paying people even while the business has not been there, just to hold on to them, Ms Fitzgerald says.
Tourism interests in Kerry are also cautious about the idea of an extra bank holiday. However they do support a special St Patrick's Day celebration.