Dublin Port is coming under fire for deciding to halve the number of cruise ships it takes in.
Bosses say it's a temporary move, and that by 2026 it will create room for even more passengers.
“In the coming days, Ireland will welcome the first cruise ship of the season to Dublin Port," explained Richard Guiney, CEO of DublinTown, the not for profit organisation.
"This growing trade has come from a standing start to now adding between up to €35m to the local economy. However, all this has now been put in jeopardy by Dublin Port’s decision to drastically cut the number of passenger ships coming into the capital by more than 50% from 2021 - a decision that we believe must be reversed.
“The move will have disastrous consequences for tourism in the city. However, it won’t just be Dublin that will suffer from this decision," he added.
"It is likely that the number of cruise calls will dramatically drop across all Irish ports as a result of Dublin Port’s plans to deny access to the capital.
"f cruise operators remove Ireland from their itineraries now, it could prove virtually impossible to win them back. By sending out this message, Ireland may end up losing this vital resource forever."
DublinTown represents over 2,500 businesses in the city centre.
