Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Brian Simpson MEP, the EU’s Head of Transport and Tourism, will join tourism interests from across the island of Ireland at a conference taking place in Ennistymon, County Clare, today and tomorrow.The serious impact of recent flooding on the tourism sector and the decline of the domestic tourism market in the last year will be the main topics of discussion at the 21st National Tourism Conference, which is being attended by over 250 tourism industry officials and members of Local Authorities, County Enterprise Boards, partnerships, and all public and private bodies involved in the promotion of tourism on the island of Ireland. The event is being hosted by the Clare Tourist Council, in conjunction with Clare County Council.
Speakers scheduled to address the conference - entitled ‘Promoting Partnership In Tourism: 21 Years Of Progress' - include Bertie Ahern T.D., former Taoiseach; Brian Simpson, MEP, Head of Transport and Tourism EU; Stephanie Abrams, US Radio Broadcaster and renowned Travel Expert; Tom Barnum, Barnum Travel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (The Milwaukee / Clare Experience); Irene Adair OBE, Co-Founder of Newry and Mourne - Clare Twinning Partnership; and Tom Coughlan, County Manager, Clare County Council (Promoting Partnerships: The Role of the Local Authority). Meanwhile, Aidan Pender, Director of Policy and Industry Development, Failte Ireland, will address the Conference on the role played by partnerships in building tourism capability.
Former UUP Councillor Edward Turner M.B.E; former Chairman of Kildare County Council Rainsford Hendy; and All Ireland Football Championship winner and former Chief Executive of Newry and Mourne district council, Kevin O’Neill will chair the Conference sessions.
Commenting on the conference, Mr. Flan Garvey of the Clare Tourist Council said: "For over two decades this event has promoted the benefits of adopting a collaborative approach to developing tourism on the island of Ireland. The Clare Tourist Council is committed to engaging with tourism providers and promotional agencies throughout the island in reinforcing the country’s status as a domestic and international tourist destination alike.”
Mr. Garvey noted that the conference had in previous years attracted tourism representatives from all over Ireland to Ennistymon to share their views on the best way forward for the sector. “The interest shown in this year’s event indicates the very real commitment among all tourism agencies and operators to participate in a unified approach to addressing common issues facing the sector. All political parties, including Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party, will also be participating this weekend in the best interests of developing tourism”, he added.
The conference will include the presentation of the Clare Tourist Council Tidy Towns Awards, sponsored by Fitzpatrick’s Supervalu Supermarket in Ennistymon, along with excursions by delegates to some of Clare’s tourism landmarks including Mullaghmore in North Clare and the East Clare Heritage Centre in the east of the County. The Miami Showband, featuring members of the Catholic and Protest communities, will perform at the main Conference Banquet.
Meanwhile, the Clare Tourism Forum today launched a new website at the conference. www.clareoffers.com promotes special offers and discounts on accommodation, attractions, activities, and shopping discounts from around County Clare. The initiative follows on from a successful campaign undertaken, in conjunction with Aer Lingus, during which North American tourists were encouraged to fly into Shannon International Airport and spend time in Clare.
According to Maureen Cleary, Marketing Executive of the Clare Tourism Forum: “www.clareoffers.com is an ideal platform to showcase Clare as a fantastic value destination and provides the ‘call to action’ a potential visitor needs to book their trip to the County.”
“We are delighted that tourism providers from around County Clare are supporting this excellent addition to the existing county tourism website www.clare.ie. Both websites are excellent selling tools created by the dedicated tourism partnership, the Clare Tourism Forum”, she added.
The Clare Tourist Council, which is also a member of the Forum, hosted its first national tourism conference, titled 'The Tourism Explosion - Implications for Ireland', in 1989. Subsequent conferences have addressed a wide range of tourism issues like 'Tourism for the '90s', 'Tourism & the Environment', 'Let Tourism work for You', 'Keeping up with Changing Times', 'The Role Played by Local Authorities in Tourism', 'Positioning Tourism - Quality or Price" and "Promoting Co-operative Tourism Marketing".
