Pictured, Catherine Flanagan CEO AVEA
AVEA Conference 2022 celebrates the uniquely skilled individuals behind the visitor experiences which drive Ireland as a tourism destination choice
Escalating energy costs, declining consumer confidence, and attracting new talent are the key concerns among delegates attending this year’s Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions (AVEA) annual conference. Anchored by the theme of ‘Our People, Our Future’, the two-day event programme is designed to recognise the unique talent within the visitor experiences and attractions (VEA) sector.
Ahead of officially opening the conference today (17.10.22), Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD said: “As drivers of destination choice both internationally and regionally, visitor attractions must be recognised and celebrated as a core element of Ireland’s overall tourism offering. These experiences and attractions are the gatekeepers of our cultural and heritage fabric and are a critical asset in differentiating Ireland from other destinations. I look forward to hearing the views of those working within the VEA sector on how we can build its future resilience, ensuring Ireland remains a compelling and attractive tourism destination choice.
“The theme of this year’s conference demonstrates just how central the people within the sector are to delivering the visitor experience of Ireland. Through their work these individuals generate memorable moments for visitors and create a lasting impression. However, the VEA sector, like many sectors of the economy, is facing a challenge in recruiting new talent as it tries to accommodate pent-up demand and desire to travel. In this context, I was pleased to secure an additional €15 million in Budget 2023 for a range of industry initiatives including continuing investment in skills development and retention. The additional funding provided in Budget 2023 will facilitate the ongoing work by Fáilte Ireland to address the employment challenges faced by tourism businesses in attracting talent, assisting skills development and retaining staff. This funding will also boost domestic marketing to promote Ireland’s tourism offering to Irish holidaymakers.
Minister Martin added: “The Government, my Department and Fáilte Ireland responded quickly and comprehensively to address this crisis and support the industry to ensure its survival and recovery. I think it is essential that the Government and industry continue to engage and work together to address the challenges the VEA sector faces. I remain committed to making the case for the tourism industry to continue its recovery and overcome the many challenges ahead.”
Considering the impact rising energy costs and general inflation will likely have on visitor attractions in the coming year, CEO of AVEA, Catherine Flanagan said: “Following two years of critically impacted trading due to rolling closures and a lack of cash reserves, visitor attractions now face into another winter of insecurity with energy costs forecasted to triple. While the Government’s Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme is helpful to some, for many AVEA members it simply does not meet their needs. This is of particular concern to our heritage members who face spiralling costs for heating and preserving older buildings.
“These are costs which cannot be passed on to visitors or absorbed into the business, causing some visitor attractions to consider closing their doors during the winter months as a way of mitigation. As a sector we fully appreciate the lengths the Government took to safeguard visitor attractions during the pandemic to ensure they were positioned to drive tourism recovery as economies reopened. It would be remiss to see the fruits of those efforts lost by not adequately shielding our core cultural and heritage assets from this latest challenge.”
The opening day of the AVEA conference focuses on the exciting career opportunities within the sector and how new talent can be encouraged in while fostering the skills of existing personnel.
Ms Flanagan continued: “While visitor attractions face their challenges much like any other industry, it is important that we don’t lose sight of the wonderful career opportunities that the sector offers through extraordinary jobs in extraordinary places. Those working in a visitor attraction will tell you that they are typically unusual and exciting places to work where no two days are ever the same, breaking the mould of ordinary workplace life. Furthermore, the sector offers the unique opportunity to play an integral role in protecting and futureproofing some of Ireland’s most important cultural and heritage buildings.
“That is why we wanted to showcase and celebrate the uniquely skilled staff working within the industry as part of our conference this year. We strongly regard our people as our most important asset. It is their ability to deliver experience through creative vision, story-telling, and engagement which drives Ireland’s world-famous tourism offering. A key ambition for AVEA members is to showcase visitor experiences as workplaces that offer an exciting and rewarding career choice. Attracting new talent to drive the growth of visitor attractions is vital for future proofing the sector.
For more about the AVEA see: www.avea.ie.
