Enhancing the County Carlow Visitor Experience to the fore with Tourism Guide Training
Today (Wednesday 28th March 2018) Carlow Tourism, Carlow County Council, and Carlow Kilkenny Educational Training Board unveiled details of a variety of tourism guide & familiarisation opportunities for tourism industry members, community guides and individuals seeking opportunities in the Tourism Industry in County Carlow under the Town & Village Scheme 2018.
During April a number of opportunities are presented which include Tourism Visitor Care, Tourism Information & Administration, and familiarisation trips run by Carlow Tourism free of charge.
Speaking at the Launch, Kathleen Holohan, Chief Executive of Carlow County Council said, “the tourism industry is of vital importance to County Carlow and supports many jobs in rural communities and we see a programme like this providing formalised training for guides, creating a high standard of guides with particular expertise in County Carlow, enhancing the visitor experience, whilst also upskilling and creating employment in the longer term”.
The project is run under the Town & Village Scheme in partnership with Carlow Tourism and chairperson of Carlow Tourism, Cllr. John Murphy said, “this project is just one of the initiatives being developed by Carlow Tourism under the Town & Village Scheme which includes the development of an experiential tourism product for the county, such as walking routes, town trails across a number of locations and attractions in County Carlow”.
The Town & Village scheme is co-ordinated by Carlow County Council and speaking about the project, Kieran Comerford – Head of Enterprise said, “Tourism is an essential element in the Town & Village Scheme and projects in this space are designed to enhance the user experience and understanding with the hope that the visitor will stay longer in the area and therefore have a lasting economic impact”. Comerford continued to say, “Having a group of trained local guides, who are passionate and understanding of their local area, with the knowledge and competencies to deliver a guiding service for tourists, will be a huge benefit to the County Carlow area”.
Speaking about the initiative CEO of Carlow Tourism , Eileen O’Rourke commented "the two familiarisation trips which cover the northern and southern areas of the county allow attendees to apply the knowledge gained in the tourism guiding course in a hands-on manner. Running for a number of years, the familiarisation trips have been very successful in communicating the key attractions and natural resources of the County, facilitating positive referrals to visitors.”
The programmes commence on 17th April and can be booked by contacting Carlow Tourism - Mary Wogan 059 9130 411, or the Local Enterprise Office - Pierce Kavanagh by E-mail pkavanagh@carlowcoco.ie or phone 059 9129 786.
Ends
For further information contact Pierce Kavanagh on 059 9129 786 / pkavanagh@carlowcoco.ie or Kieran Comerford on 086/8252037 / kcomerford@carlowcoco.ie
Photo Captions:
Caption Photo 1: (Front Row) John Kelly Myshall Muintir na Tire , Cllr. John Murphy , Chair , Carlow Tourism , Kathleen Holohan , Chief Executive , Carlow County Council , Grainne Ward - Failte Ireland , (Back Row) Brigid Fox , Myshall Muintir na Tire , Eileen O'Rourke , Carlow Tourism
