The hotel industry has called for a commitment by the incoming government to ensure wage increases are not in excess of those agreed in the social partnership agreement.
Publishing a policy document entitled A Focus on Competitiveness - a Policy for Sustaining Growthtoday, the Irish Hotels Federation outlined seven "action areas" to ensure continued competitiveness.
The body said the measures were needed to safeguard against further rises in wages out of line with other European countries.
It said recent reviews of the national minimum wage were "totally at variance" with the objective of maintaining competitiveness in the Irish economy and "must not continue".
The organisation said: "Unlike multinational corporations, which can move facilities at short notice, tourism is a fundamental part of the fabric of Irish society and culture. Nationally, it generates over €6 billion in revenue - equivalent to 3.1 per cent of GNP."
It said the top four issues concerning the tourism sector were control of wage costs, marketing funds, energy costs and local authority funding.
IHF president Annette Devine said Ireland's tourism sector competes in a "highly cluttered" international market.
"Given the labour intensive nature of the industry, continued increases in the statutory minimum wage, exceeding those agreed in the National Agreement, have a significant negative impact on competitiveness in the hospitality sector."
Ms Devine called for €5 million per year in funding over a five-year period to support the so-called Open Skies deal, which will see increased direct air access between Ireland and the United States.
She said there was potential to attract an additional one million US visitors to Ireland annually over the next seven years, increasing revenue by €1 billion, if the correct marketing supports are put in place.