Kilkenny Tourism Business Graduate to Combat Challenges for the Future

Fifteen senior managers from tourism businesses across the country, including Kilkenny’s James Gleeson, Hibernian Hotel, have completed a joint Fáilte Ireland and Irish Management Institute (IMI) Hospitality & Tourism Strategic Management Programme and this week received their certificates at a ceremony at the IMI in Sandymount, Dublin.

The Programme has given participants in the tourism business in Clare, Cork, Wicklow, Donegal, Mayo, Roscommon, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Meath and Belfast, a range of new insights, enhanced their capability and knowledge and provided them with the confidence required to deliver a competitive advantage for their tourism businesses. This is essential against the continually changing commercial environment and challenging marketplace in which they are working to take their business to the next level.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Paul Keeley, Director of Commercial Development at Fáilte Ireland said that the  Programme was designed to meet the challenges of modern tourism – particularly changing visitor expectations. He emphasised:

“While 2018 had been a very successful year for the Irish tourism industry, we can’t rest on our laurels. It is always important to ensure that tourism businesses are future-fit, and this Strategic Management Programme has enabled participants to develop both themselves and their business to the next level – providing them with the valuable insights, know-how and capability to ensure a competitive advantage into the future.”

Fáilte Ireland’s response to this challenge was to work in partnership with the Irish Management Institute to develop the Hospitality and Tourism – Strategic Management Programme to enable senior tourism managers to take time away from their business to reflect about how they will develop their business into the future. This time along with expert tuition and insights has enabled these business managers to adjust their business strategy to meet their future needs, tailor the experiences they offer to match prevailing customer trends and focus their marketing activity to create a competitive advantage for their tourism business.

Fáilte Ireland’s Head of Enterprise Development, Martina Bromley, added:

“Congratulations to Kilkenny’s James Gleeson, Hibernian Hotel, for completing the Hospitality and Tourism Strategy Management Programme. For tourism managers to be successful they must have a comprehensive understanding of this changing environment and have a definitive plan as to how to meet the challenges in the future.  With increasing competition in the market place, greater and more targeted sales and personalized experiences with new and niche markets and visitor segments is vital for the future.”