The Association of Visitor Attractions tourism conference in Waterford featured insights from industry leaders on purpose-driven tourism, innovation, data, visitor experiences, and sustainability.
- Donna Speed, CEO, We The Curious (Bristol): Be true to your purpose: align with your core mission to build meaningful visitor engagement and long-term success in experiential tourism.
- Mark Kelly, Founder, AI Ireland: Experiment with “persona stacking” by posing the same questions to AI from different perspectives, revealing varied responses that highlight AI’s potential for creative problem-solving in tourism strategy and personalization.
- Sean McKeown, CEO, Waterford City & County Council: Success in tourism requires bold vision and proactive execution to turn ambitious goals into reality, fostering collaborative growth at local and regional levels.
- Jim Deegan, Limerick University: Data as the foundation, secure robust data infrastructure to build investor confidence, enabling evidence-based decisions that drive sustainable tourism investments and measurable outcomes.
- Jill de Azevedo, Head of Consumer Planning and Insights, Fáilte Ireland: Gerneration alpha visitors prioritise creating lasting emotional memories through in-real-life (IRL) experiences, shifting focus from transactional visits to immersive, shareable moments.
- Monica MacLavery, Strategy Implementation Manager, Tourism Ireland: Target high-value markets, European mainland visitors tend to engage more deeply (do more activities) and spend more generously, providing a strategic buffer against economic risks and seasonality.
- Kat Brogan, MD, Mercat Tours: Storytelling for impact: Use thoughtful storytelling to forge meaningful connections that benefit people (communities), place (destinations), and planet (sustainability), turning visits into transformative narratives.
- Catherine Toolan, Guinness Storehouse: Innovation mindset: Continuously innovate to achieve world-class standards—ask “why not?” to push boundaries, elevate experiences, and set new benchmarks in visitor attractions.
- Carmel Scott, Head of Major Events, Tourism NI, Event learnings and legacy: Drawing from the British Open in Portrush, key lessons include leveraging campaigns like “Every Shot is Magic” for emotional storytelling, maximizing legacy impacts (e.g., infrastructure upgrades), and applying scalable insights to future mega-events for broader tourism uplift.
- Dawn Woollam, Timberplay: Raise the bar,n a competitive landscape, “good” is no longer sufficient—strive for exceptional, differentiated experiences to stand out and meet evolving visitor expectations.
Conference hostess Catherine Flanagan asked delegates to write their favourite Irish experiences on postcards and read out two examples
- “Crossing Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge with my 4yo and 2yo in the sunshine, and some dolphins made an appearance. Unforgettable.”
- “The look on my three boys’ faces as we climbed the steps of Fanad Lighthouse and the wonderful guide explained how special lighthouses are.”
