Ross Castle, Co. Kerry
We work across a broad spectrum of projects at Fáilte Ireland, ranging from large-scale tourism strategies to grass root developments. When you join our team, you could be working on the launch of a festival, a training scheme for tourism businesses or the development of visitor attractions. But while there’s great variety within the projects that we do, all our work falls under the umbrella of our main mission: to support and promote tourism in Ireland.
Collaboration is a key part of how we operate, which means there’s variety in both the work we do and the people we work with. Our learning and development offering also creates pathways for our team to advance and evolve through a range of continual professional development programmes.
To give you an idea of the scope of work you may be involved in when you join our team, here are some projects that best illustrate what we do.
Digital that Delivers
A vital part of our work relates to the support of local tourism businesses, and our Digital that Delivers programme, running from 2021 to 2026, sees us provide training, guidance and mentorship to over 600 organisations. Having a digital footprint is imperative in the modern world, and this project helps visitor attractions, activity providers and day tours to enhance their digital presence and train their teams.
We provide participating businesses with extensive training, expert advice and financial supports to launch key digital projects, develop digital skills and drive more sales online. The digital transformation is a two-year process over which participants build a bespoke digital roadmap and get to grips with the latest technology. They also gain access to a suite of online learning tools, plus expert-led workshops and one-to-one support.
Projects like this exemplify the work we do to support tourism businesses across the country, with our team providing vital training and overseeing the progress of each organisation.
EU Just Transition Fund
The EU Just Transition Fund was created to help European countries meet the challenges of transitioning to a zero-carbon economy. As part of this, we launched the Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme for Ireland’s Midlands.
Throughout this three-year project, we are investing in the sustainable development of tourism in the Midlands, working extensively with local businesses through funding schemes and establishing our expert-led Tourism Learning Network. This collaborative learning programme is a key part of the project and includes capability-building courses and peer learning. This project goes beyond environmental sustainability, with additional pillars focusing on access and inclusion, business growth and tourism strategy.
Alongside this element of education, we are regenerating and repurposing peatlands by creating walking and cycling trails as part of the Trail Network Development Scheme.
Púca Festival
Festivals form a huge part of our work at Fáilte Ireland. Alongside our largest events, like Dublin’s St Patrick’s Festival, there are hundreds of smaller community festivals that we fund, support and promote. One of our most recent successes has been the Púca Halloween Festival, an event first launched in 2019 that celebrates Ireland as the original home of Halloween, linking the ancient Celtic tradition of Samhain to more modern-day festivities.
Working in collaboration with Meath County Council, we created a three-day festival that honours our heritage while attracting visitors who flock to Athboy and Trim every October for theatrical parades, the lighting of the Samhain fire and large-scale concerts.
In creating this new festival, our team worked to incorporate ancient traditions while producing an event that still feels contemporary. A project like this gives our team the opportunity to be creative, and to work on a unique event that will progress and evolve over the years.
We have also launched Home of Halloween, a pilot destination development scheme that aims to establish Ireland as the authentic global home of Halloween. Local authorities applied for funding that will help them to create Halloween festivals that are rooted in local culture, folklore and community engagement, and will ultimately attract visitors, generate income and support local jobs.
Climate Action Programme
Our values form the basis of all the work we do at Fáilte Ireland, and one of these key values is care. This incorporates our commitment to sustainability, both internally and externally. Our Climate Action Programme was created to help tourism businesses work in a sustainable manner and incorporate those measures into their day-to-day operations.
Each business is allocated a dedicated sustainability advisor, who provides one-on-one assessment, assistance and guidance. The advisor creates a practical action plan that’s tailored to the specific business, then provides guidance on how to reduce emissions, improve energy use and explore available funding opportunities.
While the focus of the programme is on the environment, schemes such as this also help businesses to reduce costs and position themselves as market leaders. Many visitors are looking for tourism attractions that prioritise sustainability – this project helps businesses to succeed, while also helping the planet.
Job openings at Fáilte Ireland
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