As the sod is turned today on the ambitious Slieve Bloom Cycleway, LaoisToday can confirm that a local company has won the tender to drive the new five-year Laois Tourism Strategy.
Big Idea Consulting, whose founding members are Cullenagh native Henry Fingleton and Portlaoise woman Jackie Carroll, will have responsibility for overseeing the new strategy to promote Laois as a tourist destination.
The Laois Tourism Strategy was launched earlier this year and a public tender was put out by Laois County Council for someone to implement it.
After a competitive process, Big Idea Consulting won the three-year contract.
Jackie Carroll, a founding member of the company along with Henry Fingleton, believes there is huge potential for the county.
“We are delighted to have successfully tendered for this exciting project. Laois has so much to offer tourists with a wealth of heritage and an authentic, rural contemporary experience.
“We look forward to harnessing the skills and enthusiasm of existing businesses to drive a vision for change and promote our wonderful county,” Jackie said.
“Having the backing of a committed tourism board, a comprehensive strategy document and coupled with our team’s mix of marketing and business skills will drive this project and make real change in Laois,” she said.
“Our role is to implement the strategy,” she said, with a focus on “promoting Laois and making it visible”.
She says they will engage in a collaborative approach in conjunction with Tourism Ireland, Laois Partnership and Laois Enterprise Office (LEO), among other agencies.
“I think the potential for Laois is absolutely huge,” she said.
She said she recently spoke with people who visited the Rock of Dunamase for the first time and they couldn’t believe how stunning it was.
“We want people to stop off in Laois. We don’t just want them to stop off at the Rock of Dunamase on the way to Kilkenny,” she said.
She said there is huge potential and a lot of “drive-through” traffic on the motorways through the county which could be enticed to the visit Laois.
Ms Carroll said they will now focus on getting on the road and meeting with everyone involved in the tourism industry to ensure Laois is promoted.
“We will be putting experience packages together,” she said. This could be along the lines of outdoor pursuits, for example, taking in the Slieve Bloom Cycleway which had its sod-turning this week.
“We have a brilliant product to sell – an authentic experience. We live our lives a little bit slower than in Dublin. If I was a family in Dublin, I would love to come to visit Laois,” she said.
The county can offer adventure, experience of life on a farm etc, she said.
The quality and range of hotels on offer in Laois is also a significant asset, she said.
Jackie says they are really looking forward to the challenge.
“I am absolutely excited by it. We have an excellent product to sell,” she said.
Ian Finnan, Chairperson of Laois Tourism said: “These are exciting times for Tourism in Laois, the board of Laois Tourism and I are delighted with the appointment of Big Idea Consulting whose energy and professionalism is infectious. I know they will become the driving force behind bringing our five year tourism strategy for Laois to Life”.
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