Claims by the latest Lonely PlanetIreland guide that Temple Bar is "Temple Barf" and Bundoran is one of Ireland's tackiest resorts have been described as outdated and harsh by businesses in the two areas.
The 2008 tourist guide, published yesterday, is largely positive about Ireland, describing it as "one of the world's most beautiful countries" despite its flaws.
However, it says that Dublin's Temple Bar has lost much of its authenticity and its "cultural quarter" tag is "a little bogus". It criticises "crappy tourist shops . . . dreadful restaurants" and says that "by 3am, the only culture on display is in the pools of vomit and urine . . ."
The Temple Bar traders' organisation TASCQ said this view was about five years out of date.
Martin Harte, chief executive of TASCQ, said the area did have problems with issues such as litter several years ago, but the Lonely Planetguide was not reflecting today's reality.
He said independent auditing showed that Temple Bar was litter free by European norms. He also said that the area had a large selection of high quality specialist shops, particularly around the Cow's Lane area, and had some of the city's best restaurants, such as Eden and the Mermaid Cafe and the Tea Rooms at the Clarence.
"Sure, at 3am even celebrities can look a little rough and Temple Bar is no different," he said.
Bundoran was also unhappy to see that the guide had repeated its claim that the south Donegal town was "one of Ireland's tackiest resorts with an assortment of unappealing arcades and fast-food diners".
Hotelier Brian McEniff said this was "harsh" criticism and did not reflect the reality.
"Seaside resorts had been described as tacky for as long as I can remember," he said, but Bundoran had been transformed in recent years. He pointed to the town's reputation as a venue for conferences and said it would not continue to be selected if it did not have quality facilities such as restaurants and leisure activities.
Lonely Planetsaid travel writers were encouraged to tell it like it is.
