In these difficult and troubled times for Ireland’s tourism industry it is important to step back and look beyond the pandemic as to what our sector will look like in the coming years. To that end the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) organised a major virtual conference which was broadcast live from the O’Reilly Hall in UCD – on February 10th from 10:00 to 13:00.
The conference was funded by ITIC members with support and sponsorship from Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and AIB.
At the conference ITIC published a revised revival plan for Ireland’s tourism industry and included 3 scenarios for recovery out to 2025. Speakers included Ruth Andrews (ITIC), Willie Walsh (incoming DG at IATA), Minister Catherine Martin TD, Professor Luke O’Neill, Niamh O’Shea (Killarney Park Hotel), Cathy Bryce (AIB), Marc Crothall (Scottish Tourism Alliance), Paul Kelly of Fáilte Ireland and Niall Gibbons of Tourism Ireland.
The inaugural presentation of the Eileen O’Mara Walsh Lifetime Achievement Award was also presented to Paul Carty who recently resigned as MD from the Guinness Storehouse, a worthy recipient.
The conference was moderated by well-known TV and radio broadcaster Dearbhail McDonald.
Over 2,500 watched the conference live on the day, which can now be viewed here in full.