A NEW report has called for the compulsory licensing of all bed and breakfasts and for the introduction of a quality grading scheme.
The report was commissioned by the Town and Country Homes Association, which represents more than 60 per cent of BBs registered with Fáilte Ireland.
Getting Fáilte Ireland approval for a BB is a voluntary process and operators must pay in the region of €200 for the yearly endorsement. Registered BBs carry the familiar shamrock sign.
Fáilte Ireland acknowledged the report and said an action plan was being drawn up for the BB sector.
Helena Healy, chief executive of the Town and Country Homes Association, said it was "unacceptable" that there was no obligation on operators to register BBs.
"It's hard to believe that you can actually put a sign outside your door and set up a BB without any kind of regulation, without any kind of insurance, and that does happen," she said. "Believe it or not, there are somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 unregistered properties in the Republic of Ireland at the moment."
These unregulated establishments were undermining consumer confidence, Ms Healy said. "While there are some very good BBs out there in the unregulated sector, there are also some BBs that don't meet minimum standards," she said.
The report, conducted by Alpha Omega and First Western consultants, found that retaining the status quo was "not a viable option".
"This situation has led to a black economy of unapproved, unregulated establishments which operate without any sanction or control and undermine the reputation and standards of legitimate operators."
The authors interviewed representatives from tourism organisations as well as tourism providers and accommodation users, and conducted an online survey.
More than 74 per cent of respondents said licensing of BBs should be mandatory.
The call for a grading system was greatest from tour operators and marketing associations.
Launching the report, No Frontierspresenter Kathryn Thomas said her travels had shown her that the "céad míle fáilte", or Irish welcome, was still hugely important to overseas visitors.
She said she was " delighted" to see that the regulation of BBs was finally being addressed.
"It is so timely and so important now that people are pushed in the right direction to make this happen," Ms Thomas said.
Kate Burns, chairwoman of the association, said a pilot voluntary grading scheme could be up and running by next year and she called on Fáilte Ireland to address the issue.
Fáilte Ireland said it was mindful of the changes facing BBs and had established a working group to provide recommendations on the development of the sector.
The Irish Homes Bed and Breakfast working group is drawing up an action plan to drive the growth of the sector. It is expected to present its findings to Fáilte Ireland in November.
Fáilte Ireland's head of industry standards and quality, Tony Lenehan, said the "jury was still out" on the value of mandatory licensing for operators and consumers. He said it would involve imposing further regulations on the sector.
"We have no problem with a grading system. It's about trying to find the right grading system," he said. He cautioned that a star system similar to that used by hotels could limit the development of BBs by categorising them as accommodation providers only.
Ms Burns said Fáilte Ireland was "fudging the issue" and needed to take urgent action.
BB blues: operators say season 'very up and down'
THE INCREASE in the number of budget hotels and the decline in the US dollar were two of the reasons cited by BB operators yesterday for the reduction in trade in recent years.
This season was has been "very up and down", according to Margaret Brown, who runs the Old Cable House in Waterville, Co Kerry. "Obviously the weather was a complete washout and we are missing our American market with the fall off in the dollar. The whole insecure economic environment is affecting business."
She said the introduction of so many three-star hotels had a strong impact in recent years. "They have been eating into the business, particularly in rural Ireland where bed and breakfasts would be most needed and most popular."
And the presence of thousands of unregistered BBs was not helping the image of approved BBs, she said. Ms Brown would like to see unregistered operators being encouraged to get approval. "We must make it so irresistible that they have to get approved, rather than just pointing the finger at them."
Lily Saunders, who runs the Rosedene BB in Portlaoise agreed that business had been lost to three-star hotels but said she believed there would always be a place for good quality, family-run BBs. "Breakfast is not always included in a three-star hotel or it may be sitting there from morning. And often the quality is not there. People want peace and quiet too, and in hotels you might have a room over a disco or bar."
Kate Burns, chairwoman of Town and Country Homes, said the survival of BBs was an urgent issue.
"Tourism is having a bad year. Forecasts for 2009 are not any better. In fact, it's probably going to be an even tighter year. We need to move to improve the current situation."
