Connecting and Collaborating to promote County Waterford
On Thursday, November 20th over 100 tourism and hospitality businesses gathered in The Majestic Hotel, Tramore to connect and collaborate.
The theme of the day was ‘Waterford Goes Global’ and one of the key learnings from the event was that for Waterford to go global a fundamental component of this is the creation and maintenance of successful relationships among businesses and organisations across the county.
The event is part of the Waterford Rural Tourism Network programme, funded and supported by Waterford City & County Council and Fáilte Ireland, and delivered by Runda Hospitality & Tourism Solutions. The Waterford Rural Tourism Network is made up of five cluster areas; Copper Coast, Blackwater Valley, Comeraghs, Gaeltacht na nDéise, and Waterford Estuary.
The event included insightful industry updates, conscientious panel discussions, structured networking and a delicious lunch, championing local produce, organised by the team in The Majestic Hotel.
The day began with industry updates and insights delivered by Michael Quinn, Director of Services, Waterford City and County Council. This was followed by Ivona Carr, Officer for Ireland’s Ancient East at Fáilte Ireland, updating the room on the recently launched tourism plan for Waterford, The Waterford Destination and Experience Development Plan (DEDP). The five-year plan aims to create a sustainable tourism destination by extending the tourism season and spreading business across the county.
Speaking at the event, Ivona Carr, Officer for Ireland’s Ancient East at Fáilte Ireland said, “Waterford has a unique opportunity to become one of Ireland’s leading outdoor tourism destinations. With its breathtaking landscapes and rich cultural heritage, the county is ideally positioned to develop compelling rural tourism experiences that will appeal to both domestic and international visitors.
“This ambition aligns strongly with the objectives outlined in the recently launched Waterford Destination and Experience Development Plan. Working collaboratively across industry, communities and stakeholders is key to unlocking this potential and strengthening Waterford’s position as a key destination in Ireland’s Ancient East.”
Julie O’Brien was joined on stage by travel editor and writer, Pól Ó Conghaile, where they discussed the connection between tourism and media. Pól began by referencing Visit Waterford’s ‘Digital Concierge’. Pól remarked how it is great to see, in a world where AI is so prevalent, that this is people communicating with real people.
Pól spoke with Julie about the different media formats and the benefits of diversifying your marketing strategy to reach different demographics. Pól then gave tremendous insight into what it is that travel journalists look for in a destination, notably the power of community and how it is represented within a destination. This information was invaluable to everyone in the room namely the Waterford Rural Tourism Network members.
Another standout moment of the day was a panel discussion with Sinead Corcoran from The Tower Hotel, Deirdre Houlihan from Faithlegg Hotel, Clare Barrett from House of Waterford and Karen Harris from Dunmore East Adventure Centre – the theme of this discussion was International Marketing Insights. These tourism leaders passed on some of their marketing strategies and acted as best practice examples for everyone in the room. This discussion highlighted the benefits of completing the Fáilte Ireland Sales Ready B2B programme.
A quick pause in the day, which was anything but ordinary, saw ‘Cocoa by Judit’ serve everyone a wonderfully festive cup of hot chocolate.
Everyone on the day was incredibly grateful to have been able to listen to the final interview of the event which was with John Healy, Director of Abbey Group. John spoke of global trends and market insights, changing trends in travel motivation and what Waterford specifically can do. John concluded by outlining exactly what a buyer will expect from a supplier and the importance of relationship management.
On the day Julie O’Brien remarked, “This has been one of the most impactful networking events I have attended. When I am in Waterford, I am always struck by how each community welcomes you into their corner of the county with such warmth and excitement. To have heard from the businesses here today, the desire to work as a collective is shining through. I am so looking forward to seeing how the new relationships and collaborations formed today will manifest in 2026’’.
Michael Quinn, Director of Services, Waterford City and County Council added, “The impact of gatherings like today’s event cannot be overstated. The shared knowledge, insights, and lived experiences in this room highlight just how vital collaboration and connection are in strengthening the appeal of Waterford as a premier visitor destination.
“I would like to thank all of the panellists for their valuable contributions, and I hope the audience leaves inspired, informed, and equipped with ideas they can put into practice.”
Waterford City and County Council would like to thank everyone who attended this very successful event and looks forward to seeing what 2026 will bring as businesses and organisations across the county collaborate to promote Waterford as a world class tourism destination. The Tourism team look forward to continuing to work with the Waterford Rural Tourism Network in partnership with Fáilte Ireland and Runda Hospitality & Tourism Solutions.
If you would like to find out more about the Waterford Rural Tourism Network or join one of the five Clusters in Waterford, please email caroline@runda.ie.
This project is funded by Waterford City and County Council and Fáilte Ireland.
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Images: Free to use – Patrick Browne
100: Sinead Corcoran The Tower Hotel; Deirdre Houlihan Faithlegg Hotel; Julie O’Brien Runda Hospitality and Tourism Solutions; Clare Barrett House of Waterford and Karen Harris Dunmore East Adventure Centre
101: Michael Quinn Waterford City and County Council; Julie O’Brien Runda Hospitality and Tourism Solutions; Ivona Carr Fáilte Ireland; Editor and Travel Writer Pól Ó Conghaile; Claire Hartley Waterford City and County Council and John Healy Abbey Group.
103: John Healy Abbey Group; Julie O’Brien Runda Hospitality and Tourism Solutions; Ivona Carr Failte Ireland; Editor and Travel Writer Pól Ó Conghaile, Clare Busher O’Sullivan Visit Waterford; Richard Povey Taste Waterford and Clare Barrett House of Waterford
