A Lonely Planet article warning would-be visitors to Dublin of “airport chaos”, accommodation shortages and “soaring car rental costs” does not help the capital, the tourism industry has said.
Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, chief executive of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC), scrambled to defend the city on Tuesday following the publication of the article which posed eight questions related to changes in Dublin in the aftermath of pandemic restrictions on tourism.
It picked out “soaring hotel costs wreaking havoc” on budgets, citing one example of a weekend for two in July costing between €700 and €900.
“The cost of renting a car will likely make a significant dent in your budget,” the popular travel review book and website noted.
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It offered tips to help navigate a “notoriously expensive city” but said when it comes to weekend dining, visitors would “have as much chance scoring the winning Lotto ticket as bagging a walk-in in a city centre restaurant”.
The article, published earlier this month, contained plenty of detail on what attracts visitors to the city but Mr O’Mara Walsh conceded its damaging effects during an interview on RTÉ Radio.
“Such reviews don’t help,” he said, adding the review “doesn’t make for pleasant reading”.
The ITIC is the representative body of the tourism industry, working with government agencies, tourist boards and other organisations, and focusing on research.
Mr O’Mara Walsh said he did not believe the headlines arising from the article were fair and explained that the surge of interest in travel meant Dublin was at capacity, pushing up prices. He warned, however, that if the city lost its “value proposition” it would have a negative impact on the sector.
He also pointed out that the difficulties being experienced in Dublin were not unique and were being seen in other cities. Dublin will host one million visitors in June against a 15 per cent shortage of hotel beds due to the refugee crisis.
Still, Mr O’Mara Walsh admitted there was a need to “get things right”, that excessive prices charged by some hotels were not doing the sector any favours. The vast majority of hotels were offering good value and a good quality experience, he claimed.
The Lonely Planet’s warnings of what to expect chime with recent and well-publicised problems in the city, but differ from other past reviews.
Last October, Lonely Planet ranked it the seventh in its index of best cities to visit in the world during 2022, noting its “approach to ethical tourism, its flourishing independent artisan shopping scene, and plans to pedestrianise parts of the centre to create a renewed sense of community”.
