Irish Tourism Industry Confederation - ITIC

CEO weekly diary #66: Landing a message, A motivated workforce, Historic houses Earlier this year I was at an event and was introduced to a senior US aviation executive and some of his colleagues. “And what do you do?” he asked cutting to the chase as Americans tend to do. A fair question and I gave my spiel about representing an industry, case-making for tourism and all that. At the end of my windy answer he simply said laughing “ah so you are a lobbyist!” I couldn’t help laughing too - to that audience anyway that was my role and that was the correct job description. I tend not to use the term lobbyist as all I can think of is “big tobacco” - the word has negative connotations. Of course advocacy has a more nuanced tone although that may just be my precious inner Jane Austen. Either way it is always encouraging when a message you are advocating lands sweetly. That was the case this week when we published ITIC’s tourism manifesto https://lnkd.in/eg8Y8dST which set out 7 key asks as to how tourism can be supported by the next Government. I was interviewed by Kieran Cuddihy on Newstalk https://lnkd.in/eQJtGFWF but more satisfying was the Irish Examiner editorial which fully subscribed to our tourism message https://lnkd.in/eWqx9qA9. So the message has landed but successful advocacy (or lobbying 😉) means the message must also be acted upon so we’ll have to await the next Government and see how tourism fares in the various coalition-formation haggling… Guess what? Tourism has a motivated workforce with good job satisfaction. That’s the welcome news particularly as tourism sometimes gets a bad rap. Relative high levels of MQ - or meaning quotient - amongst tourism & hospitality workers in a national survey was one of the findings of bespoke research carried out for ITIC by Genesis. Ok nurses and social workers recorded the highest MQ but with vocational careers you’d expect that, tourism wasn’t far behind and well ahead of sectors such as financial services. Interesting stuff. My interview with Genesis partner Conor Kavanagh here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eZrc2Mq6. I mentioned last week about heritage sites being unique venues for tourism purposes. Well our historic houses also make for remarkable places to stay. One of my favourites is Castle Durrow in Laois where myself and the better half got married 10 years ago and to mark the anniversary we stayed there again this week. Still impeccably tasteful with understated style it remains a favourite within the Blue Book collection of luxury country houses. Oh and impeccable taste and understated style still apply to the handsome couple too of course 😘.

CEO weekly diary #65: Unique venues, Hospitality protest, Sustainability leadership A week of being at things rather than doing things but they were pleasant things to be at so no complaints here. The week started in Kilkenny and finished in Dublin with a visit to Belfast thrown in for good measure. That’s 3 out of 5 of Ireland’s regional experiences so I owe Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands and the Wild Atlantic Way some attention next… I was a panellist at the excellent Association of Visitor Experiences & Attractions conference in Kilkenny. Moderated with aplomb by journalist Sarah Carey the conference covered a broad range of topics from AI to dynamic pricing to stimulating demand. However the highlight (for me anyway) was the dinner that evening in St Canice’s Cathedral. A place of worship for centuries, a visitor attraction for decades, and since this week a gala dinner venue. For the first time St Canice’s hosted a seated evening function for 300 lucky guests and its high ceilings, stained glass windows, pointed naves and atmospheric transepts all made for a beautiful and unforgettable setting…and wonderfully showcased the uniqueness and flexibility of Irish heritage attractions. More of a traditional function room later in the week in Belfast for the Northern Irish Hotels Federation but kitted out in some style for their 25th anniversary. Under the leadership of Janice Gault the NIHF have been trailblazers for a sector that has seen some amount of change from bombs and bullets in the 80s and 90s to peace and progress of recent decades. Politically of course Northern Ireland will never be straightforward - just take the imposition of the ETA for international tourists from next year which is bound to undo some of the upward movement in visitor numbers the North has enjoyed in recent times… With an election in the offing the hospitality sector came out in force with a protest and march on the Dail of restauranteurs and regionally-based vintners. Food businesses and publicans feel let down by the recent Budget and expressed their unhappiness by taking to the streets. Much media coverage and lots of sympathy from the public. Some sympathetic words too from politicians but ‘fine words butter no parsnips’ as they might say in some of the eateries. Hospitality and broader tourism issues must be elevated by next Government - such a key indigenous sector, and one so regionally-based, needs a support structure to help it trade thru these high-cost times. More tourism sustainability leadership this week and it came via the Atlantic Technological University and Dr James Hanrahan who heads up their UN Sustainable Tourism Observatory. My interview with James here - https://lnkd.in/edTQ8vGA - and he points out the challenges and successes of the industry. It’s such a huge topic and the ‘growth at all costs’ and the ‘cut carbon and to hell with the consequences’ ideologues must find a middle ground.

📹#Sustainability and environmental responsibility have never been such priorities as they are now for Irish tourism.   Ireland’s only UN Sustainable Tourism Observatory hosted by Atlantic Technological University (Institute of Technology, Sligo) works closely with tourism destinations along the Atlantic coast and its islands.   Our CEO Eoghan O'Mara Walsh recently met with Dr James Hanrahan to hear about the important work that he and his colleagues carry out. Have a listen here➡️ https://lnkd.in/e8z2d645 Niall MacCarthy, Sustainable Tourism Network, UN Tourism, ResearchGate

📹#Sustainability and environmental responsibility have never been such priorities as they are now for Irish tourism.   Ireland’s only UN Sustainable Tourism Observatory hosted by Atlantic Technological University (Institute of Technology, Sligo) works closely with tourism destinations along the Atlantic coast and its islands.   Our CEO Eoghan O'Mara Walsh recently met with Dr James Hanrahan to hear about the important work that he and his colleagues carry out. Have a listen here➡️ https://lnkd.in/e8z2d645 Niall MacCarthy, Sustainable Tourism Network, UN Tourism, ResearchGate