DUBLIN, Ireland: Tourism Ireland has taken note of a Lonely Planet article complaining about the high cost of visiting Ireland, fearing the article will become "amplified" across the world, along with a "low but consistent number of complaints."

Officials have seen a steady level of complaints from visitors to Ireland on social media, with the near-unanimous issues raised in a single week relating to costs. Of this, 42 per cent of all complaints were about the very high price of car hires.

Officials at Tourism Ireland said there was continuing "low-level feedback" on the cost of renting a car, along with the cost of hotels.

However, Tourism Ireland said that these complaints have not been reported in the mainstream media.

It was noted that tourism agencies in France had also voiced complaints about "ongoing price and availability issues."

Specifically, French agencies had criticized hotel room bookings being canceled in Ireland, as well as "very high weekday rates for Dublin city center hotels."

"Price increases in restaurants have also been flagged as a concern," Tourism Ireland stated.

"In addition, some tour operators have reported that key attractions no longer take group bookings - a critical component of a group tour for holidaymakers," officials said.

Additionally, in Belgium and the Netherlands, tour agencies reported Irish hotel rooms being canceled due to their being occupied by refugees from Ukraine.

However, other foreign agencies reported business doing "very well" and that, so far, they had been able to find alternative accommodations.

Tourism Ireland also reported that feedback from Germany was "still very positive," with high interest in visiting Ireland. Also, the German travel industry reports being unable to meet demand for July and August.

In a written report, Tourism Ireland said, "Tour operators have reported that additional costs are frequently being borne by themselves and hotels, as a proportion of these sales were booked in advance by consumers [when rates were lower]. Rental cars are a challenge in terms of cost and availability."

It was also noted that there has been much media coverage about the queue and baggage issues that have plagued Dublin Airport in past months.

Overall, the prices of auto rentals remains an issue among tourists in many countries.