JUST days after announcing it was due to re-open again, the Aqua Dome has been forced now to postpone its plans due to the latest Government announcement on Covid-19 restrictions.
Thursday 8th July was the intended date to re-open, 15 months after closing its doors due to the pandemic, but the Directors of the Aqua Dome were forced to change their plans on foot of the latest change to the guidelines.
Indoor activities and group exercise indoors are no longer permitted from July 5th, forcing one of Munster’s major attractions to remain idle for much of the main tourism season and dealing another a blow to the tourism industry of Tralee and Kerry.
The CEO of the Aqua Dome, Kieran Ruttledge, has expressed his frustration: “It’s really annoying to be planning on re-opening one day and then to announce you’re not the next. People see other pools and hotel leisure facilities being open but they are for individual training and swimming lessons or residents only and that is obviously not the Aqua Dome business model.”
The Aqua Dome was planning to operate with substantially restricted numbers which would have had a massive effect on its income potential, but it was prepared to proceed in order to support the local tourism industry, while allowing staff to return to work.
Chairman of the Aqua Dome, Denis Reen, said: “At the end of the day, we have to follow public health advice and our desire to operate in a safe manner is our highest priority. We are concerned for the future of the company because we rely so heavily on the income generated in the summer months. This is when we make the profit which enables us to remain open throughout the year. We will make a decision on a possible re-opening this summer once we have more news, but for now we will remain closed.”
