Tourism Officers recognised for specialist training in driving growth and attracting more overseas visitors
Over 40 Local Authority Tourism Officers, Heritage Officers and Visitor Attraction Managers were last night recognised for their participation in Fáilte Ireland’s Regional Tourism and Revenue Management Programmes.
Each successful participant was awarded a certificate by Jenny De Saulles, Head of Ireland’s Ancient East at Fáilte Ireland, for the successful completion of the Regional Tourism Management and the Visitor Attraction Revenue Management programmes.
Both programmes focus on helping Local Authorities and local tourism providers to find new ways to drive tourism growth in Ireland’s Ancient East and diversify the tourism offering to attract more overseas visitors from across Europe and beyond.
Speaking at the graduation, which took place in Johnstown Estate Hotel in Enfield, Jenny De Saulles, Head of Ireland’s Ancient East, Fáilte Ireland explained:
“Local Authorities are central to the delivery of county tourism strategies and are a hugely important partner to Fáilte Ireland in the development and promotion of Ireland’s Ancient East. Fáilte Ireland designed and delivered these programmes so that, through working with Local Authorities, we have a more thorough understanding of how we can work together; we can ensure seamless support locally; and drive growth and better value for money. We all want to ensure that Ireland’s Ancient East becomes the most engaging and accessible culture experience in Europe and we know partnership is key to the success of this”.
Speaking on behalf of Cavan County Council, Tommy Ryan, CEO, stated:
“We are delighted to have been involved in Fáilte Ireland’s training programmes. Our work includes the provision of a range of supports on a daily basis to tourism businesses and community groups; local engagement through networking events; management of large scale tourism capital projects and visitor attractions, as well as selling the county at national and international level. Working with Fáilte Ireland on programmes like this really helps to ensure that we are all on the one page in terms of supporting our tourism businesses at a local level, but most importantly as we collaborate on selling our region internationally”.
Michelle Whelan, Tourism Officer at Boyne Valley, with Meath and Louth Local Authorities, said:
“I have garnered huge benefits from the programme not just from the innovative international content and learnings, but the opportunity I have had to learn from colleagues in other counties from all over the Ireland’s Ancient East region.”
Ray Sinnott, Estate Manager of Mount Congreve Estate in County Waterford, also said that the programme had provided lots of techniques for growing the attraction and managing its sustainability into the future. He said:
“The revenue module in particular has given us lots of actions to implement right now and the practices we need to put in place to inform revenue growth and remain competitive.”
Helen McDaid, National Enterprise & Hospitality Development Manager at Fáilte Ireland said that the participants gained a great deal from completing the Programme. She said:
“Both Programmes have been very well received by local authorities and tourism officers throughout Ireland’s Ancient East. We are now considering expanding the delivery of the Programmes into other local authority areas to help drive tourism growth and increase local engagement throughout the regions.”
Those awarded were:
Regional Tourism Management Programme
Carlow Tourism - Eileen O'Rourke
Carlow County Council - Kieran Comerford
Cavan County Council - Grainne O'Connor
Cork City Council - Jo Gazley
Cork City Council - Ursula Ramsell
Cork County Council - Rose Carroll
County Kildare Failte - Áine Mangan
Dundalk Tourist Office - Sinead Roche
Kilkenny County Council - Aisling Hayes
Kilkenny County Council - Grace Quinn
Kilkenny County Council - Maura Hickey
Laois County Council - Catherine Casey
Laois County Council - Dominic Reddin
Longford County Council - Mairead Ni Chonghaile
Louth County Council - Brendan McSherry
Meath County Council - Loreto Guinan
Meath County Council - Michele Whelan
Monaghan County Council - Dympna Condra
Tipperary County Council - Marie Phelan
Waterford County Council - Bernadette Guest
Waterford County Council - Johnny Brunnock
Waterford County Council - Orna Holohan
Westmeath County Council - Una Doris
Wexford County Council - Norma Quinsey
Wexford County Council - Siobhan O'Neill
Wicklow County Council - Deirdre Burns
Visitor Attraction Revenue Management Programme
Athlone Castle Visitor Centre - Carmel Duffy
Carlow County Council - Michael Brennan
Elizabeth Fort - Peter Looney
Louth County Council - Brian Walsh
Mount Congreve Estate Garden - Ray Sinnott
Old Cork Waterworks Experience - Mervyn Horgan
Spike Island - John Crotty
Tipperary County Museum - Marie McMahon
Triskel Christchurch - Toinette Buckley
Waterford Medieval Museum - Eamonn McEneaney
Wicklow's Historic Gaol - Emeir O'Connell
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