The Labour Party described as "paltry" the additional €3 million fund for tourism which will be used for marketing campaigns in the UK and Europe.
The Labour spokeswoman on tourism, Ms Kathleen Lynch, has accused the Minister for Tourism, Mr John O'Donoghue, of ignoring the problems facing the sector and said his actions showed disregard for the plight of those working in the industry.
Ms Lynch was responding to the allocation of the extra funding for overseas tourism marketing by Mr O’Donoghue in Killarney yesterday.
"[The investment] shows a clear disregard for the reality of the crisis in the tourist industry [with] tourist numbers down by up to 25 per cent this year, [and] a net loss to the Exchequer of €400 million".
However, tourism industry representatives throughout the State have welcomed the move.
Mr Brendan Leahy, chief executive of the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation, said it recognised that the industry was facing a major crisis and that there was "a lot of business left to play for".