Hoteliers at the Irish Hotels Federation Conference have heard renewed calls for the compulsory stopover by US flights at Shannon Airport to be phased out by 2008.
The IHF said it is hopeful that negotiations to end the Shannon stopover will begin later this month. The hoteliers said American tourists would "flock directly to Cork" if they could fly to Cork Airport from the US.
John Gately, chairman of the Cork branch of the IHF, said Ireland's second city cannot properly tap the US market while the stopover continues.
The hoteliers have denied accusations of contributing to the perceived "rip-off Ireland" culture, saying many owners are struggling to make a profit.
The federation represents 805 hotels and 450 guesthouses. Their two-day conference in Cork's Silversprings Hotel ends this evening.