Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 19: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if his attention has been drawn to criticisms of restaurants, hotels and the hospitality sector in general contained in the latest edition of the [i]Bridgestone Guide[/i]; if his attention has further been drawn to the author's specific criticisms that tourism here is under threat from bad taste destinations, dodgy tourism developments that litter the coasts and places that deliver less than acceptable experiences for tourists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34886/05]

John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)
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I am, of course, aware of the Bridgestone Guide and I have seen some of the author's comments on the state of the hospitality sector in Ireland. As I understood them, these comments are broadly positive. Indeed, in the words of the author, the Bridgestone Guide purports to "sing the good news that we have world-class cooking, world-class chefs and world-class hospitality". People's tastes differ on many things and this is certainly true of food and hospitality critics. In that context, the fact that the author in researching his guide encountered some bad experiences — which serve to underline the very positive experiences — should not surprise anybody.

For my part, I tend to rely more on empirical, fact-based research to judge the state of the industry and, for that reason, Failte Ireland's visitor attitudes survey of around 4,000 overseas visitors to Ireland is a vital touchstone. In 2004, the survey showed that: 71% of visitors were "very satisfied" with the quality of top grade hotels, grades 4* and 5*, and 71% were "very satisfied" with the level of customer service; more than nine in ten were satisfied with the quality of food in hotels — 53% "very satisfied" and 40% "fairly satisfied"— and 73% were "very satisfied" with the quality of food in restaurants; overall, 95% of visitors felt that their Irish holiday either exceeded, 30%, or matched, 65%, their expectations and 97% said that they would recommend Ireland as a holiday destination; greatest satisfaction was expressed with the Irish people, the scenery, the history and culture — things that need to be improved include bad roads, poor signposting and the high cost of living, particularly food and drink costs; on environmental issues, 83% of visitors expressed themselves "very satisfied" with the natural and unspoilt environment on offer, 66% were very satisfied with Ireland's attractive cities and towns and 60% were very satisfied that Ireland was litter and pollution free.

Only 3% of visitors mentioned food quality as a potential disadvantage and only 2% mentioned litter or hygiene. By any yardstick, these results represent a strong endorsement of the quality of the holiday experience in Ireland.