Proposals to declare an extra bank holiday are being considered by the Government.
There could be an extra bank holiday to look forward to once the Covid-19 crisis is over.
Minister for Tourism, Brendan Griffin, said in the Dáil on Wednesday that an extra day off for workers could provide a much-needed boost to the tourism and hospitality sectors later in the year.
Mr Griffin was speaking during an emergency Dáil session on the coronavirus.
He said: “Personally for a long time I've felt that, coming form a country that's so dependent on tourism, that an additional bank holiday - either at the earlier part of the year, or the tail end of the year - would be very helpful.
"I see the economic benefits that come [with it].
"Probably at the tail end - because with Easter and St Patrick's Day... we have a lot of them there together in the early part of the year".
Minister Griffin also said tourism is one of the most directly-affected sectors of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said: "With international aviation at a virtual standstill, the closure of tourism sites and a ban on public gatherings, the impact of COVID-19 on global tourism is overwhelming and immediate.
"In the space of a few short weeks, the Irish tourism and hospitality industry has been decimated."
Two bank holidays have come and gone while the country has been in lockdown due to the coronavirus.
