€20m is to be spent on cleaning up the image of Dublin in a bid to attract more tourists.

A task-force will also aim to create a striking new brand and logo similar to the 'I Heart NY' campaign in New York.

The chairman of Failte Ireland, Michael Cawley, says Dublin's literary heritage and sporting culture should be pushed to the fore.

He believes the capital is losing out to places like Edinburgh and Barcelona, and needs to drop the Temple Bar image.

The plan comes after Dublin was named as the fifth friendliest city in the world earlier this month.

US travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler said Dublin is a "vibrant city" that is a "bibliophile's dream."

It said that apart from being "green, lush, and very walkable", it is also "the kind of place you stop in for a drink in a local pub, only to end up chatting with the locals for the next five hours."

But Failte Ireland director of market development John Concannon says tourists could be missing out on a lot.