Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent)
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During the pandemic, people got into the habit of staying in the country rather than going overseas. We probably have the best country in the world for scenery, golf clubs, food and different types of attraction. Although I am not a drinker, the craic to be had in the pubs is second to none. We have something really great to offer. People stayed in Ireland for their holidays during the pandemic and found some fantastic value across the different parts of the country. However, once the pandemic eased off, prices suddenly doubled. If Ireland gets a name as being expensive, that will not help us. I see a lot of American and English people coming here and saying Ireland is expensive. We cannot afford to get the name of being expensive. There are a huge number of SMEs in this country and there are many people who need tourists to come here. What is going on at the moment? All we read in the newspapers is that hotel rooms in Dublin cost €1,500 or €2,000 a night. People do not read the small print; they only see the headlines stating that Ireland is an expensive country. We must get out there and communicate the right message about the country we love. I used to go out of the country a lot for my summer holidays. The only thing this country does not have compared with other countries is good weather. In recent years, Ireland has put a real effort into attracting tourists, but it has become very expensive here. How can we change people's perspective that this is an expensive country?