A Tourism Academy will address the absence of a strong tourism network in Laois, according to the Laois Tourism Strategic Plan.
“The development of a Tourism Academy is designed to become a focal point for industry networking, collaboration and training. The suggested operational model is designed to create an internal stakeholder engagement platform facilitating a cross pollination of ideas and act as an outlet for industry education and training,” the strategic plan outlines.
“The overarching theme is promoting collaboration among all stakeholders with a direct and indirect involvement in the tourism sector,” it adds.
“The natural development of the Tourism Academy should evolve to act as a stimulus for enterprise development through its role in becoming a dedicated sector network providing an accessible network for relevant agencies to work with existing and prospective tourism entrepreneurs,” according to the strategic plan.
It adds that the development of a more visitor led destination will require increased collaboration among the industry, while simultaneously having a focussed approach to training.
“The success of a Tourism Academy will be contingent on all stakeholders adopting the Tourism Academy as a focal point for collaboration. The initiative should be developed on a phased basis with initial networking at the core of its activity,” the plan outlines.
“This should then evolve to focus on tourism enterprise and training supports in partnership with the relevant delivery agencies and examination of cross sector engagement e.g. food sector to promote extended rounds of industry networking,” it adds.
Key actions include a networking schedule being devised for Laois Tourism industry based on a calendar of networking events distributed throughout the country.
Training
A tourism industry training schedule with local and national training and tourism development agencies to address key skill deficits within the industry.
Key training programming should be aligned with the marketing development of tourism in Laois.
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