Dublin city centre is open and safe and people should not avoid it this festive season.
Temple Bar Company CEO Martin Harte was speaking after the Dublin Riots brought violence and looting to the city last Thursday night.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee has asked the Policing Authority to examine what new equipment Gardaí might need to properly respond to similar incidents in the future.
She has also sought 'clarity' about the level of force Gardaí can use.
Some 48 people have been arrested in relation to the riots and unrest.
Mr Harte told The Pat Kenny Show people should be aware that it's business as usual in the city the Christmas.
"I think it's important to get the message out that the city is open," he said.
"We have to take the word of the Minister for Justice and the Gardaí that there are adequate and more than adequate resources.
"It's getting that message out there and it's reassuring people that those resources are there.
"I know on Friday, within a couple of hours of the day starting, we had a meeting with the Superintendent [Dermot McKenna of Pearse Street Garda Station] and the businesses to reassure people, to open and get out there and to come back into the city."
Mr Harte said the riots being streamed over social media had a "massive impact".
"These messages are circulating on groups, people are talking to each other [saying] 'Don't come in'," he said.
"Dublin is safe and we're a very multicultural and a proud multicultural city - that's the glue that keeps the city together".
'The consumer is pulling back'
Restaurants Association CEO Adrian Cummins told the show that the industry is already facing difficult times.
He said the increased VAT rate from September is coupled with an increased minimum wage coming in January.
"We can see that the consumer is pulling back in terms of the number of times that they're going out to eat," he said.
"We saw that in the Bord Bia report launched nearly two weeks ago.
"Then, to crown it all, last Thursday was a devastating day for business and hospitality in Dublin and we're trying to recover from that.
"We saw a substantial number of bookings cancelled on Friday, but that's coming back now."
'Substantial closures'
Mr Cummins said the VAT increase is hitting food businesses particularly hard.
"It's not just restaurants, it's pubs that serve food, cafés, etc," he said.
"That increase of 9% to 13.5% is a huge difficulty in terms of the viability of the business.
"Restaurants are low-margin businesses."
Mr Cummins said that, as consumers pull back, more closures will happen.
"There are businesses out there that will prosper, but I'm saying very clearly here that you will see a substantial amount of closures," he said.
"We saw 140 restaurants liquidate in July, August and September and we're not even into the issues around the VAT increase and the minimum wage increase," he added.
Mr Harte said there is an opportunity for State agencies to highlight that the city is open for business.
