Munster Technological University (MTU) is hosting the International Regenerative Tourism Conference on Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th November 2024.
- Price: €275 includes conference attendance, lunch, dinner and coffee breaks on both days.
- Where: Dingle Skellig Hotel, Dingle, Co.Kerry, Ireland
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Taking place at the beautiful Dingle Skellig Hotel and various unique locations on the west Kerry peninsula, the aim of the conference is to explore the future of sustainable tourism through a regenerative lens.
This conference will welcome stakeholders including tourism businesses, academics, policy makers, destination management organisations, tourism bodies, climate leaders and local authorities. Over two days attendees will consider strategies for, and examples of, a more holistic, balanced approach to tourism development, which will deliver net positive benefits for businesses, communities and the environment.
The conference will feature an engaging mix of international keynote speakers, academic papers, panel discussions, practical workshops and tours, as well as social and networking events over two inspiring days on the Wild Atlantic Way in west Kerry.
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Irena Ateljevic
Human Geography PhD from the University of Auckland, boasts a distinguished career spanning academia, policy advising, and social entrepreneurship.
In 2011, Irena pivoted from academia to spearhead transformative social-entrepreneurship initiatives. Her key projects include Terra Meera, Regenerate Europe, SHE – Sibenik Hub for Ecology and Phoenix Arbor.
A living example of applied regenerative methodologies, Irena educates, inspires, and sparks transformation in others as a mentor, insightful keynote speaker and a community builder.
Duncan Stewart
Architect, Environmentalist, TV Presenter & Film Poducer. An award-winning architect and television producer, Duncan Stewart has been a leading Irish advocate for environmental, health and conservation issues for over 40 years.
Duncan produced and presented Ireland's longest running, environmental series EcoEye which ran for 21 seasons on RTE 1. One of the most popular television shows in Ireland, with over 200 episodes, he has examined environmental issues both home and abroad.
Duncan is a leading speaker on Climate Change, Bio-diversity, the Circular economy and Renewable Energy, as well as a variety of topics revolving around our our interaction as people with our natural surroundings.
Dr. Karen Weekes
Dr Karen Weekes specialises in effective, transferrable coping tools for managing challenges faced in business, sport and life. Her PhD focused on effective coping strategies and motivations of elite endurance athletes.
Karen combines this solid base of knowledge with her own experiences from numerous ultra-endurance expeditions, which includes rowing 3,000 miles solo, and unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean.
Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland Conference (THRIC) 2024
The conference team are excited to announce that the conference will also feature the re-launch of the THRIC - Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland Conference, which previously ran for 15 successful editions across Ireland from 2005 – 2019, before being paused as a result of the global pandemic in 2020.
The relaunched THRIC will form the central academic component of Day 2 of the International Regenerative Tourism Conference, on Wednesday 20th November.
Registration for THRIC will include access to both days of the International Regenerative Tourism Conference, including all social and networking events.
About CE4RT (CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR REGENERATIVE TOURISM)
CE4RT seeks to provide financial and business support to a minimum of 80 tourism SMEs (16 per country) through a programme (maximum EUR 8,000 per SME) with the following objectives:
- To develop a peer-to-peer focused approach and share knowledge, expertise and best practice among tourism SMEs, in relation to the circular economy and regenerative tourism practices.
- To deliver hands on training for tourism SMEs in developing sustainability practices and influencing positive behavioural changes amongst visitors.
- To provide funding towards achieving recognized sustainability accreditation/certification.
- To support tourism SMEs in the adoption of sustainable best practice through one-to-one coaching to develop sustainable plans and measure carbon footprint and coaching.
- To offer tourism SMEs the opportunity to participate in international networking events.
- To encourage tourism SMEs and other stakeholders in the development of innovative solutions towards regenerative tourism.
The Applications Have now been completed
Congratulations to the 80 tourism SMEs from Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Poland and The Netherlands who were selected for the CE4RT programme and will receive a FREE training course in circular economy and regenerative tourism and €8250 each towards coaching, certification and networking on their sustainability journey.
We would especially like to say well done to the 18 Irish businesses who were successful with their applications, of whom the following 10 come from our very own Dingle Peninsula:-
Anne's Coffee Bar, Cill Bhreac House, Dingle Bikes, Dingle Farm, Dingle Garden Townhouse, Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium, Dingle Sea Safari, Louis Mulcahy Pottery, Mossie's Tours, and Tig Feirme Gleann Loic Farmhouse
Click here for the Full list of the 80 Participant SME's
FREE ONLINE WEBINAR - LINK TO REGISTER:
As part of MTU Innovation and Enterprise month 2024, join us online with your morning coffee for a thought-provoking discussion on sustainable and regenerative tourism. Our two brilliant speakers Jim Butcher and Debbie Clarke will tackle some of the big questions currently being asked about the future of tourism and the best path forward for our industry.
Dr Jim Butcher is a researcher and lecturer at Canterbury Christchurch University in the UK. He is an internationally renowned author, having published three books and numerous articles on the politics and geography of tourism. Some of his recent work is in the areas of mass tourism, over tourism and de-growth. He is an occasional commentator on industry issues on TV, radio and in print. He is a member of the American Association of Geographers and the Royal Geographical Association. Jim has also worked with ATLAS (the association for tourism and leisure education and research) on their cultural tourism research, and has been involved in many other tourism related projects.
Debbie Clarke from New Zealand is Director of Regenerative Development at The Centre for GOOD Travel, a social enterprise that has been delivering travel experiences that contribute to well-being and regeneration of the host communities for over 10 years. She is a trained regenerative practitioner, has founded her own niche tourism business serving LGBTQ+ travellers, and is now dedicated to developing capabilities of tourism and travel systems to contribute to the well-being of people, communities and natural ecosystems. Debbie co-hosts ‘GOOD Awaits’, the regenerative tourism New Zealand podcast, creating a new story for tourism, one that nurtures the wellbeing of communities and ecosystems, as well as travellers.
This forum is design to give you an opportunity to ask questions about the programme. To attend please register and we will send you a Zoom link about an hour before it starts
The CE4RT project will provide funding up to 8000€ per SME (Small Medium Enterprise) from relevant business sectors.
To qualify, please familiarise yourself with the documents below and fill in the application form online.
Obligations of the participants
Data protection policy – MTU – Project Coordinator
BENEFITS FOR PARTICIPATING SMEs
The key benefits of participation in the CE4RT programme are:
- Support and coaching in generating a profitable business.
- Guidance in tackling climate action.
- Training on how your SME can have a positive benefit on your community.
- Learning how to preserve the destination including its heritage, culture and nature.
- Education on informing visitors of their positive impact on the destination.
- Networking opportunities to share the journey with the wider European community.
Additional benefits include:
- Access to all learning materials, online training, webinars and best practice examples.
- Meeting and learning from experts.
- Networking and knowledge sharing with SMEs from other destinations participating in the programme.
- Development of a sustainability plan (strategy and action plan).
- Support in achieving a sustainable supply chain.
- Inclusion in promotional and dissemination activities at regional, national and EU level.
The CE4RT project is funded under Single Market Programme (SMP COSME) call – “COVID-19 Recovery through Sustainable Tourism Growth and SME Support” (SMP-COSME-2021-TOURSME).
Name of the Project: Circular Economy for Regenerative Tourism
Acronym of the Project: CE4RT
Proposal Number of the Project: 101085456
Project Duration and start date: 25 months, start: January 1st 2023
Lead partner/coordinator: Munster Technological University (MTU), Ireland