‘All these highs and lows,” muses the soundtrack to the Discover Ireland television commercials, designed to persuade us that holidaying at home is the new going away. And how apt; because experiencing the highs of the 700ft Cliffs of Moher will set you back €14.50 (£12.41), a low by any standards.

The number of holidaymakers opting for a “staycation” this year is likely to double, as the recession tightens consumers’ wallets and warmer weather makes the prospect of seaside towns such as Salthill, Tramore and Lahinch more tempting. A poll of 1,000 hotel guests by Travelodge suggested that 55% of us plan to spend summer holidays in Ireland, compared to just 27% in 2008.

There are signs, however, that patriotically propping up Ireland’s tourism sector, the country’s largest indigenous industry, instead of going abroad may be a false economy.

Dermott Jewell, the chief executive of the Consumers’ Association of Ireland, said: “The feedback we’re getting is that there are good special offers available in restaurants and hotels, but families looking for an all-in deal for a week are not finding them keenly available and it’s definitely not as competitive as going abroad .

“I’m sick and tired of hearing so many poor-mouth stories from businesses in the tourism industry saying they’re doing everything they can. They’re not. Even the state is not doing enough to entice Irish visitors.”

A new car park at the Cliffs of Moher costs €8, while the interpretative centre that opened in 2007 charges another €4.95. To enjoy the best view of the cliffs from the top of O’Brien’s Tower is another €2. All this for a natural landscape that our ancestors enjoyed for free.

At Dublin Zoo, one of the capital’s main attractions, it’s €43.50 for two adults and two children. At Fota Wildlife Park in Cork, a family ticket (two adults and up to four children) is €56 and there’s a €3 charge for the car park.

A correspondent to a national newspaper complained that the cost of three ice cream cones in Dingle was €11.40. Is this a record, he wondered?

Vic Joffrion from North Carolina wrote to another newspaper saying he had taken his third trip to Ireland in five years and reckoned it was double the cost of an equivalent trip in America, before factoring in the $1,000 (£612) air fare. “We love Ireland,” Joffrion wrote. “But until prices become more reasonable vis a vis the dollar, I’m afraid that we will not be back any time soon.”

Maria O’Callaghan from Glounthaune in Co Cork feels much the same. After she and husband Joe, an engineering consultant, forked out €600 on accommodation and dinner during a weekend in Killarney, she said she’d prefer to spend holidays abroad from now on.

She “really enjoyed” her stay at the Castlerosse hotel in the tourist hotspot during Easter with her husband and two of their four children, Ruben, 14, and Ultan, 12, but she said it’s simply “not cheap” for a family to holiday in Ireland.

“My friend recently went to Salou in Spain for a week and it cost just €250 per person for flights and a four-star hotel, with meals included,” O’Callaghan said. “Here, a sandwich and a cup of tea for just two adults costs the guts of €20.”

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