A new survey on litter has found that key routes for tourists are being ruined by large amounts of rubbish.
The survey by Irish Business Against Litter described Dublin's airport road as 'an appalling sight', routes in and out of Cork city as litter blackspots and the route to Shannon airport as 'heavily littered'.
Surveyors from An Taisce also called the capital's Port Tunnel 'an eyesore'.
Fáilte Ireland says this litter problem poses a serious threat to the credibility of 'our clean, green image as a tourist destination'.
This new survey paints a worrying picture for Ireland's tourism industry, because the first thing visitors see is large amounts of litter.
On the positive side, both Rosslare Harbour and Dún Laoghaire harbour were classed as excellent and very well maintained.
The chairman of Irish Business Against Litter Chairman, Dr Tom Cavanagh, said littered roads were the responsibility of the National Roads Authority, which should deliver a better performance from its maintenance budget of €44m.
A spokesman for the National Roads Authority said that under legislation, the local authority is the governing authority of all roads in its jurisdiction.
He said that the NRA allocates the money from the Exchequer and the local authorities manage their road maintenance, except for toll roads.
Paddy Mathews of Fáilte Ireland said unless Ireland's litter problem is tackled, it will result in long-term damage to our image abroad.
Meanwhile, Minister for the Environment John Gormley has launched a scheme that will support local authorities to keep key tourist areas free of litter.
The scheme will provide €1.5m over the next three years to support the cleaning of visitor areas during the summer months.
The minister said it is vital that Ireland is presented in the best possible light to tourists and potential investors.
