•David

Dublin hotel prices are among the highest in Europe.

FI chief Michael Cawley says that diverting tourists away from Dublin and toward other destinations in Ireland helps Ireland tourism in 3 ways:

"It relieves the pressure in Dublin, increases demand in certain regional locations where it is needed and, thirdly, in many cases provides a better experience for the consumer."

At first glance it seems strange that FI would be favoring some parts of Ireland over others - but Dublin hotel profits are up 9% now vs. 2016, and there's no end to demand: 5,382 additional rooms are in the pipeline to be added by 2020.