Tourists left with bad taste

SOME Irish hotels and restaurants are making a meal of it when it comes to providing proper menus and value for money, say continental tourists.

A report by the State tourism training agency CERT found that medium-priced restaurants and hotels will have to provide better value for money, with more varied menus, if they want to satisfy tourists.

While overall satisfaction rates among tourists is high, particularly among US and British holidaymakers, travellers from the increasingly important continental market believe Ireland’s value for money is low.

Businesses could reap a bitter harvest unless they get their act together, the CERT report has indicated.

“There was unanimity among the Italians, the French, the Germans and the Dutch that the top restaurants, while expensive, were very good, but with more medium-priced restaurants and pubs, say for lunch, they’re not too happy,” said CERT chairman Eamonn McKeon

“There’s too much emphasis on fried food - chips with everything. They are looking for more variety, more salads and more fish. It’s something we should be able to address. Younger visitors tend to favour these types of establishments and are also the group most likely to make repeat visits. Low satisfaction ratings for this category must give cause for concern.”

He said continental tourists would like fixed-priced menus at lunchtime. Getting value for money in Ireland is all the more important for our European colleagues, bearing in mind that Ireland’s inflation rate is almost double that of the EU average.

“The US and the UK tourists - they don’t have an issue with price - but they have the cushion of strong currencies. That has been eroded substantially in the case of the dollar and the sterling will fall,” said Mr McKeon. He said employers were reasonably optimistic about the medium term, but factors outside their control, such as a war on Iraq, could change this.

“If there is war, it will have a negative impact of some substance for this year and the early part of next year. If we don’t, there will be a strong return to growth in the second half of the year from North America.”