Tourism warning over 'shouting' about high prices

Shouting from the rooftops about Ireland’s rip-off prices is driving away tourists, an Oireachtas Committee heard today.

Government senator Labhras O Murchu said the world’s media was slowly getting the message that the country was too expensive to visit.

He told the Oireachtas Tourism Committee in Leinster House: “I didn’t agree with the outcry about prices.

“I don’t see any PR value in shouting from the rooftops about our prices without comparing like with like.”

“We’re doing harm to ourselves by selling ourselves down. These are things we can do something about. We shouldn’t just be blaming the people in charge of the industry.”

The committee was discussing prospects for tourism in the coming season with the South East Regional Tourism Authority, the Midlands East Regional Tourism Authority and Shannon Development.

Senator O Murchu, who is director general of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, referred to visitors who complained about prices in Irish restaurants compared to those in their native countries.

But he added: “It could be quite possibly comparing a five-star hotel with a McDonalds outlet.”

The Cashel representative also said that foreign staff working in restaurants and pubs had “changed the character” of Ireland’s famous hospitality.

“He have to look at how do we win back that enthusiasm that existed for tourism in the past against the challenges of other industries out there,” he said.

Independent committee member James Breen said: “We are known as Rip-Off Ireland. We cannot allow that image to be put out about our country.”

He also pointed out that Derry was referred to ’Londonderry’ in a Tourism Ireland brochure.

He asked: “Is there such a place in Ireland? If there is I’d like to know because I’d love to visit it.”

Opposition tourism spokesman Jimmy Deenihan warned that regional tourism areas were suffering because the industry was not experiencing sufficient spatial distribution.

Labour’s Brian O’Shea called for the UK market to be more aggressively marketed as Britons were generally higher spenders.