Denmark

was not known for its food before the success of the Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, but now people were flying from all over the world to eat there, the Restaurants Association of Ireland’s annual conference in Dublin heard yesterday.

Peter Kreiner, a director of Noma which is widely regarded as one of the world's top restaurants, said this showed "that if we can do it, everybody can do it . . . Nobody would consider Scandinavia to be a place for food. Maybe some would say the same about Ireland, but why is it so?"

The conference was also told that Fáilte Ireland research in 2012 found 91 per cent of visitors were either happy or very happy with their experience of Irish restaurants.

Fáilte Ireland’s head of food tourism Helen McDaid said the industry must work to improve the appeal of Irish food for the 80 per cent of visitors who did not plan their holidays around food but were “food positive”.

Minister for Tourism Leo Varadkar said giving tourists value for money was vital, and he would fight his corner at the Cabinet table to keep business operating costs under control.

“A lot of local authorities have cut rates and I’d certainly like to see that becoming a feature of the local elections; councillors committing to hold rates down for the next couple of years or even decrease them where they can.”

Restaurants Association of Ireland chief executive Adrian Cummins said rural restaurants were under enormous pressure. "Issues like waste and water treatment, street maintenance and availability of parking should be managed more efficiently and effectively by local authorities, but restaurateurs are having to carry the high cost of these necessities."