A major international conference focusing on sustainable destination development is being held in County Clare this week.
The Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark LIFE programme will host the conference at Falls Hotel & Spa in Ennistymon on Thursday and Friday (17-18 October, 2013).
The event will feature contributions from leading local, national and international experts on sustainable tourism, including representatives of Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism (France), Solimar International (USA), Cultural Site Research & Management (USA), Tourism Ireland, the Office of Public Works and Fáilte Ireland (Ireland) and members of the Burren Ecotourism Network.
Conference keynote speakers include Catalina Etcheverry (Partner Relationship Manager for the Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism), Dr. Douglas Comer (President of Cultural Site Research and Management and the CSRM Foundation, and Co-President of the International Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management (ICAHM) for ICOMOS), Erika Harms (Vice President of Marketing Services of Solimar International), and Marian Harkin (Independent MEP for the North & West Constituency of Ireland). Meanwhile, a presentation will be made to Dr. Pat O’Connor (former Director of the Geological Survey of Ireland) in recognition of his pivotal role in securing Global Geopark Status for the Burren & Cliffs of Moher region.
Other contributors include Kevin Kidney (Head of Destination Development, Fáilte Ireland), Mark Henry (Director of Central Marketing, Tourism Ireland), Gerard Dollard (Director of Services, Tourism & Community, Clare County Council), Professor Gabriel Cooney (University College Dublin) Paul McMahon (Senior Architect, OPW), Gerard Kennedy (Local Community Development Expert), Birgitta Hedin-Curtin (Managing Director, Burren Smokehouse) and Frank O’Grady (Burren Farmer, Farm Heritage Tours).
During the two-day conference, delegates can also participate in a Geopark LIFE Field Trip to review good sustainable tourism practice and to highlight visitor management, access and conservation issues in the Burren. The trip will include visits to a number of prominent visitor centres and natural attractions.
The upcoming conference is part of the GeoparkLIFE programme 2013-17. The EU-funded programme is supported by Clare County Council, Fáilte Ireland, Geological Survey of Ireland, Office of Public Works, Department of the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, The Heritage Council, NUI Galway and UCD. For more visit www.burren.ie.
The conference takes place just two weeks after the Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark was shortlisted in the ‘Best Destination for Responsible Tourism’ category of the 10th annual 2013 World Responsible Tourism Awards.
Keynote Speakers:
Catalina Etcheverry is a Partner Relationship Manager for the Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism and is responsible for assisting the members in identifying and developing high impact joint projects. Catalina also supports the implementation of the programme of work for UNEP-DTIE’s tourism and environment programme. Before joining UNEP, Catalina acquired several years of combined international experience working with development organizations, the private and public sector. She is specialized in the management of sustainable tourism projects with an emphasis on promoting the implementation of sustainable tourism principles, practices and policies in the tourism industry. Her experience collaborating with Governments, NGOs, UN Agencies, Academia, Donors, Associations and the private sector has helped innovate ideas and resources to promote sustainable tourism. She holds a Master of Tourism and Environment from King’s College, London, and a BA in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Glion Institute of Higher Education, Switzerland.
Dr. Douglas Comer is President of Cultural Site Research and Management (CSRM) and the CSRM Foundation, and Co-President of the International Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management (ICAHM) for ICOMOS. A Fulbright Scholar in cultural resource management, he served for 15 years as Chief of the US National Park Service Applied Archaeology Center and nine years as Chair of the Maryland Governor’s Advisory Committee on Archaeology. After two terms on the Board of Trustees for the United States Committee for ICOMOS (US/ICOMOS), he now represents the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) on the Board. He is Senior Editor of the Conservation and Preservation Section of the Encyclopaedia of Global Archaeology, Senior Editor for the Springer Press/ICAHM publication series Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Archaeological Heritage Management, Fellow at the Whiting School of Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, and Visiting Independent Advisor with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Caltech (JPL/NASA). He has published extensively on archaeology, aerial and satellite remote sensing, and heritage management.
Erika Harms is the Vice President of Marketing Services of Solimar International, a global development and marketing firm that believes in the transformative power of sustainable tourism, bringing economic prosperity to destination and communities, while preserving their natural and cultural riches. Until recently Erika served as the Executive Director of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, a cutting edge initiative dedicated to set standards and processes for businesses and destinations to better practice and measure sustainable tourism. Erika has focused on creating market based platforms that bring together private and public sector in support of conservation and poverty alleviation initiatives, and has spearheaded multi stakeholder coalitions such as the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism and the Partnership for the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria. She has served as judge for several awards. In 2008, Conde Nast Traveler recognized Erika as a “Trail Blazer” in Sustainable Tourism and in 2010 she received the HSMAI award for Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing. Erika holds a degree of Attorney at Law and a master’s degree in Business Administration and Natural Resource Management from INCAE, Central American Institute of Business Administration, Costa Rica.
Marian Harkin is an Independent MEP for the North & West Constituency of Ireland. Marian was elected as an Independent Member of the Irish Parliament and has been elected twice as a Member of the European Parliament. In the MEP 2011 Awards organised by the Brussels-based ‘The Parliament Magazine’, Marian was nominated for the MEP of the Year and was awarded the “Outstanding Achievement Award” in recognition of her work in promoting the interests of volunteers and volunteering in the European Union. In 2012, she won the MEP of the Year award for her work in the area of Employment & Social Affairs.
The Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark LIFE programme will host the conference at Falls Hotel & Spa in Ennistymon on Thursday and Friday (17-18 October, 2013).
The event will feature contributions from leading local, national and international experts on sustainable tourism, including representatives of Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism (France), Solimar International (USA), Cultural Site Research & Management (USA), Tourism Ireland, the Office of Public Works and Fáilte Ireland (Ireland) and members of the Burren Ecotourism Network.
Conference keynote speakers include Catalina Etcheverry (Partner Relationship Manager for the Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism), Dr. Douglas Comer (President of Cultural Site Research and Management and the CSRM Foundation, and Co-President of the International Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management (ICAHM) for ICOMOS), Erika Harms (Vice President of Marketing Services of Solimar International), and Marian Harkin (Independent MEP for the North & West Constituency of Ireland). Meanwhile, a presentation will be made to Dr. Pat O’Connor (former Director of the Geological Survey of Ireland) in recognition of his pivotal role in securing Global Geopark Status for the Burren & Cliffs of Moher region.
Other contributors include Kevin Kidney (Head of Destination Development, Fáilte Ireland), Mark Henry (Director of Central Marketing, Tourism Ireland), Gerard Dollard (Director of Services, Tourism & Community, Clare County Council), Professor Gabriel Cooney (University College Dublin) Paul McMahon (Senior Architect, OPW), Gerard Kennedy (Local Community Development Expert), Birgitta Hedin-Curtin (Managing Director, Burren Smokehouse) and Frank O’Grady (Burren Farmer, Farm Heritage Tours).
During the two-day conference, delegates can also participate in a Geopark LIFE Field Trip to review good sustainable tourism practice and to highlight visitor management, access and conservation issues in the Burren. The trip will include visits to a number of prominent visitor centres and natural attractions.
The upcoming conference is part of the GeoparkLIFE programme 2013-17. The EU-funded programme is supported by Clare County Council, Fáilte Ireland, Geological Survey of Ireland, Office of Public Works, Department of the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, The Heritage Council, NUI Galway and UCD. For more visit www.burren.ie.
The conference takes place just two weeks after the Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark was shortlisted in the ‘Best Destination for Responsible Tourism’ category of the 10th annual 2013 World Responsible Tourism Awards.
Keynote Speakers:
Catalina Etcheverry is a Partner Relationship Manager for the Global Partnership for Sustainable Tourism and is responsible for assisting the members in identifying and developing high impact joint projects. Catalina also supports the implementation of the programme of work for UNEP-DTIE’s tourism and environment programme. Before joining UNEP, Catalina acquired several years of combined international experience working with development organizations, the private and public sector. She is specialized in the management of sustainable tourism projects with an emphasis on promoting the implementation of sustainable tourism principles, practices and policies in the tourism industry. Her experience collaborating with Governments, NGOs, UN Agencies, Academia, Donors, Associations and the private sector has helped innovate ideas and resources to promote sustainable tourism. She holds a Master of Tourism and Environment from King’s College, London, and a BA in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Glion Institute of Higher Education, Switzerland.
Dr. Douglas Comer is President of Cultural Site Research and Management (CSRM) and the CSRM Foundation, and Co-President of the International Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management (ICAHM) for ICOMOS. A Fulbright Scholar in cultural resource management, he served for 15 years as Chief of the US National Park Service Applied Archaeology Center and nine years as Chair of the Maryland Governor’s Advisory Committee on Archaeology. After two terms on the Board of Trustees for the United States Committee for ICOMOS (US/ICOMOS), he now represents the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) on the Board. He is Senior Editor of the Conservation and Preservation Section of the Encyclopaedia of Global Archaeology, Senior Editor for the Springer Press/ICAHM publication series Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Archaeological Heritage Management, Fellow at the Whiting School of Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, and Visiting Independent Advisor with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Caltech (JPL/NASA). He has published extensively on archaeology, aerial and satellite remote sensing, and heritage management.
Erika Harms is the Vice President of Marketing Services of Solimar International, a global development and marketing firm that believes in the transformative power of sustainable tourism, bringing economic prosperity to destination and communities, while preserving their natural and cultural riches. Until recently Erika served as the Executive Director of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, a cutting edge initiative dedicated to set standards and processes for businesses and destinations to better practice and measure sustainable tourism. Erika has focused on creating market based platforms that bring together private and public sector in support of conservation and poverty alleviation initiatives, and has spearheaded multi stakeholder coalitions such as the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism and the Partnership for the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria. She has served as judge for several awards. In 2008, Conde Nast Traveler recognized Erika as a “Trail Blazer” in Sustainable Tourism and in 2010 she received the HSMAI award for Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing. Erika holds a degree of Attorney at Law and a master’s degree in Business Administration and Natural Resource Management from INCAE, Central American Institute of Business Administration, Costa Rica.
Marian Harkin is an Independent MEP for the North & West Constituency of Ireland. Marian was elected as an Independent Member of the Irish Parliament and has been elected twice as a Member of the European Parliament. In the MEP 2011 Awards organised by the Brussels-based ‘The Parliament Magazine’, Marian was nominated for the MEP of the Year and was awarded the “Outstanding Achievement Award” in recognition of her work in promoting the interests of volunteers and volunteering in the European Union. In 2012, she won the MEP of the Year award for her work in the area of Employment & Social Affairs.
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