Kennedy Summer School: Future-Proofing Rural Ireland with Tourism

Date: Friday 6th September, 10am-12pm

Venue: St Michael’s Theatre, New Ross, Co. Wexford

Reserve a space: email info@kennedysummerschool.ie (this is a free event)

Tourism is a bigger industry than almost any other. Today 23 cents of every Euro that every visitor spends, goes to the Exchequer and 260,000 people are directly employed in the sector, helping to sustain communities across the country.  The scale and economic value of the industry is immense but what lies ahead?

This year Fáilte Ireland is extremely pleased to be co-hosting a major tourism forum at the Kennedy Summer School in conjunction with Wexford County Council.  A panel of leading experts in the tourism field will discuss our appeal and strengths as a country, our challenges, our opportunities and the future for our tourism sector post Brexit. The panel will focus on tourism as an economic driver for rural Ireland and how it can be developed to future-proof growth in the regions.

The event will also involve a visiting delegation from Savannah Tourism and Georgia Southern University in the context of the Wexford-Savannah Research Project which has involved Waterford Institute of Technology and Georgia Southern University in joint research into 19th century emigration from Ireland to the South Eastern United States.

Speakers and panellists include Paul Kelly, CEO Fáilte Ireland, Denise O’Leary, Assistant Head of the School of Hospitality and Tourism in Technological University Dublin,  Tom Enright, CEO Wexford County Council and more names to be announced soon. The event will be chaired by Fáilte Ireland’s Jenny De Saulles who will bring valuable insights to the Forum from her work on the ground as Head of Ireland’s Ancient East. This is a free event but places will fill up fast.  To reserve a space on a first come basis, email info@kennedysummerschool.ie to receive confirmation of ticket allocation