Resilient Ireland

It’s no secret that small, medium and micro businesses—especially across the tourism and hospitality sectors are central to Ireland’s economic growth, acting as key drivers of employment, innovation and regional strength. As the global economy evolves, these sectors face increasing pressure from shifting consumer expectations, rising costs, uncertain geopolitical trends and intensifying international competition, making their ability to adapt and modernise more important than ever.

Against this backdrop, digitisation has emerged as an enabler of competition and resilience for SMEs. What began as a transition to digital payments has evolved into a more complex challenge of seamless integration and optimisation, as contactless and digital payment solutions now play a central role in enhancing customer experience, enabling business planning and market diversification, and driving operational efficiency and business sustainability.

This study by Steven Rice and Dr. Pat McCloughan, commissioned by Mastercard, seeks to identify where more targeted and place-based policy interventions can help close this gap and unlock regional economic growth.

The research examines the potential economic growth that can be unlocked from improved digitalisation among SMEs across Ireland, including online payments, e-commerce and data use. It also specifically investigates the practical challenges faced by small tourism operators in rural areas and existing digital capability gaps and infrastructure limitations.

Lastly, it seeks to identify the policy levers and targeted interventions needed to address these barriers and to support sustainable economic development.