Hoteliers are calling on the government to review the local authority rates across Ireland.

It comes as 400 owners of hotels and guesthouses gather for the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) annual conference in Co Cavan.

A survey by the body has found that excessive local authority rates is one of the most pressing issues facing the industry.

So far, only one-third of hotels have been revalued, despite many having restructured their businesses and becoming leaner since the recession.

The IHF is calling for a national competitiveness strategy to be implemented for all public sector charges.

IHF president, Stephen McNally, says there are still concerns about the differences in costs around the country.

It comes on the back figures which show the number of people staying in hotels and guesthouses across Ireland reached its highest level last year since 2007.

According to the IHF, the average national room occupancy rate reached 64% in 2014. This compares with a 61% occupancy rate from the previous year.

The body says this is driven largely by an upturn in overseas visitor numbers.

It says that some €6.45bn in revenue was generated by Irish tourism in 2014, as 7.27 million overseas visitors came to Irish shores. That is an increase of 586,000.

There was also growth across all the key markets, including North America, which saw visitors up by 15% to 1.2 million in 2014.

More than 33,000 jobs have been created by the hospitality sector since 2011.