West Cork Fianna Fáil TD Mr Denis O'Donovan is seeking a crisis meeting with the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue, to discuss the closure of one of the biggest tourist attractions in the region, Bantry House.
Hoteliers and guesthouse owners in West Cork yesterday expressed their concern at reports that Bantry House is to shut down for the rest of the year.
"Like Blarney without its castle," is how one B&B owner reacted to the news that the historic house in Bantry is to remain closed for the upcoming holiday season.
Owner of Bantry House Mr Egerton Shelswell-White said circumstances were preventing the family from opening the house to the public for the foreseeable future.
Mr Shelswell-White met representatives of Cork-Kerry tourism last Tuesday to discuss the situation.
No precise reason has been given for the closure but it is thought to be related to financial pressures.
Hotel and B&B owners in Bantry have expressed concern at the decision to close the mansion which attracts up to 50,000 visitors to the area annually.
Mrs Margaret Peters, of Blas na Mara B&B, said tourists from all over the world travelled to Bantry to visit the palatial estate which has been owned by the White family since 1739.
"It is a disaster for this place. It hasn't hit people yet. People come to Bantry just to see Bantry House."
The gardens and Armada exhibition centre will remain open for the 2003 summer season.
Spokesperson for Cork/Kerry Tourism Mr Frank Donaldson described the closure of the house as a "serious blow for the tourism industry in west Cork". Every effort would be made to reopen it in the next 12 months.