American tourists visiting Ireland have no qualms about splashing their cash, according to a hotelier.
In a post-COVID world, Ireland is once again seeing an influx of international visitors, looking to visit everything the island has to offer.
For Lahinch-based hotelier Michael Vaughan, it is the American tourists on "bucket list" trips who he hopes to attract to his hotel.
"We had close or close to 2 million Americans in the country over the last number of years, each year," he told The Moncrieff Show.
"Ireland is on the bucket list ... and it's a cool spot now for the young kids," he said.
"Ireland is cool, no doubt."
Value
Mr Vaughan said that although prices in Ireland are becoming increasingly more expensive for locals, American tourists find the country to be of great value.
"A room in New York would be costing you at least $500, a meal in New York would be costing you $100 plus," he said.
"I have a wagyu steak on the menu which is expensive – it's €67 for a 10-ounce wagyu steak – and they just fly out the door when I have these guys in the house.
"If they know it's quality, they're prepared to pay the price."
Bucket list
Mr Vaughan said Americans are the number one spenders in the "league of tourists".
"After that, you have the British tourist, and then after that, you have the European tourist," he said.
"The American is the holy grail of tourists because they're prepared to spend. They have the dollars and they think it's like Monopoly money.
MKE99H Tourists having their photographs taken by another American tourist outside Baltimore yacht club in Ireland.Tipping, Mr Vaughan said, is the American way of showing appreciation for good service.
"The Americans, they have this kind of silent passive-aggressive attitude when it comes to making things known – you'll find no tip on the plate [if there's something wrong]," he said.
"Americans who have travelled well, they are happy to trip for good service. They understand what it is.
"If they find something unusual, they love something really unique.
"They are everywhere – I'm sure if you threw a stone at the moment you'd hit an American."
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