Fáilte Ireland hosted a special briefing event for the Galway City tourism industry on the evening of Thursday 6 October, in the Dean Galway. Over 150 tourism businesses attended the event, which was the first in-person Fáilte Ireland briefing of this scale in the city post-Covid.
Details
Among the future plans for Galway City outlined at the event was the upcoming five-year Destination Experience Development Plan (DEDP), which is aimed at driving and sustaining tourism in the area, along with identifying new opportunities that will encourage tourists to stay longer at their destinations.
As part of the session, the travel editor of the Irish Independent and Independent.ie, Pól Ó Conghaile, spoke about some of the emerging trends in travel and tourism, and how Galway is best placed to leverage these opportunities. The event also featured a panel discussion with a number of tourism representatives, including Paul Keeley, director of regional development at Fáilte Ireland; Patricia Roberts, owner of No. 1 Pery Square Hotel & Spa, Limerick; Nuala Mulqueeney, managing director, Aillwee Burren Experience; and Dominic O’Móráin, general manager at Lough Inagh Lodge, Connemara.
Additionally, the event included showcases from a number of new and enhanced Galway City experiences, including the Black Gate Culture Club, Galway City Distillery, Yoga Mara, Experience Gaelic Games, the Irish Dance Experience, Aran Island Ferries and St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church. Exhibiting at the event were the Galway Convention Bureau, Galway Food Tours, the Galway Tour Guides’ Association, Micil Distillery, Wildlands, and Galway Atlantaquaria.
Statement By Head Of The Wild Atlantic Way
Speaking about the DEDP, on which Fáilte Ireland is due to embark next year, Miriam Kennedy, head of the Wild Atlantic Way at Fáilte Ireland, said, “As the only city on the Wild Atlantic Way, Galway is in an excellent position to evolve and deliver fresh, exciting new tourism experiences in the future that match growing trends. Galway is already considered a leading tourism destination with high international appeal, and an ambitious, coordinated industry coupled with this upcoming five-year plan will align the exciting developments across the sector to ensure Galway City remains on the must-visit list for years to come.”
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