The Tourism Space® is a leading international consultancy that specialises in enabling sustainable, regenerative and collaborative approaches to tourism. We provide training, facilitation, coaching, speaking and consultancy services to government departments, public sector agencies, not-for-profit organisations, European Institutions and EU-funded projects.
We partner with public sector teams who wish to authentically and effectively support tourism businesses and clusters to transition to a sustainable and regenerative future. We do this by curating bespoke solutions for the tourism trade.
We also offer our own signature programmes:
🌱 Level 6 Accredited Certificate in Sustainable Tourism Destinations
A 12-session programme especially designed for clusters or groups. It provides a highly practical roadmap for calculating carbon and ‘going green’ as well as actionable training on accessibility, sustainability storytelling, biodiversity and outdoor ethics. It creates a nucleus of businesses within a destination with accredited training in sustainable and regenerative tourism. It is validated by Munster Technological University.
🌱 Thrive in Tourism Destination Huddles
We can keep your cluster connected and your network networked! Having delivered many great programmes that build engagement and momentum, we noticed how energy quickly tapered off once the programme concluded. To address this, we offer the service of hosting a monthly on-line or in-person meet-ups that provide timely training, industry updates and facilitated networking opportunities. This allows you to support your industry in a cost-effective way, maintaining and building momentum and engagement.
We uphold five core values, rooted in the indigenous wisdom of our place, expressed through the native language of our homeplace:
🌱 Meitheal: Facilitating collective effort
🌟 Machnamh: Encouraging reflection
💪 Misneach: Inspiring Courage
🤝 Muinín: Fostering belief
🌟 Maitheas: Promoting 'Better'
Job Opportunity!
We are currently recruiting for a Peatland Engagement Officer to join our team.
The Engagement Officer will support Fermanagh & Omagh District Council Climate Project Officer and the wider Climate Team and Cuilcagh Lakelands UNESCO Global Geopark team working within the Geopark in West Fermanagh and West Cavan in developing and delivering a Peatland Engagement programme, facilitating partnership collaboration and communications, and leading engagement activities with academic institutions, the public, and landowners/managers.
This position is offered as a full-time contract until September 2027, with funding secured for the duration.
Funding for this project has been secured from the Peatland Challenge Fund via the Shared Island Initiative.
To find our more visit: https://lnkd.in/dSMcuJTC#jobs#newyearnewcareer#fermanagh#cavan#peatlandsrestoration
🌍 Read 10 Responsible Tourism Trends for 2025 in this considered and insightful New Year's article from Better Routes Collective.
🌟 This article takes a little while to read and absorb - well worth it for anyone looking to align their business or destination strategies with responsible tourism trends.
Our clients and learners on the Island of Ireland, Scotland and England will be interested in many of these, especially the rise of 'Coolcations' ⬇️
Here's a top-line summary:
✅ Community-Led Tourism: Moving beyond community-based by empowering local communities to design and manage tourism activities for authentic and impactful experiences.
✅ Overtourism Solutions: A shift towards lesser-known destinations and conscious travel choices to ease pressure on hotspots.
✅ The Rise of JOMO (Joy of Missing Out): Slow travel and immersive stays fostering genuine connections and cultural appreciation.
✅ AI-Driven Sustainability: Innovations that enhance operations and transparency, paving the way for greener practices.
✅ Flexible Work & Travel: Blending work and leisure, remote workers seek deeper local connections and longer stays, prompting destinations to offer flexible accommodations and authentic experiences.
✅ Sustainable Luxury: Luxury travel shifts towards sustainability, with travellers prioritising authenticity, simplicity, and responsible practices over opulence and excess.
✅ Coolcations: Escaping extreme heat, travellers seek cooler destinations, such as the Nordics and British Isles, offering off-season opportunities while raising ethical concerns around climate change.
✅ Green Claims Directive: The EU's Green Claims Directive combats greenwashing by requiring verified sustainability claims, driving demand for third-party certifications and possibly leading to more greenhushing.
✅ Holistic Travel: Tourism increasingly focuses on personal growth, wellbeing, and inclusivity, with retreats and nature-based experiences that support health and environmental responsibility.
✅ Ecosystem Services: Tourism businesses focus on preserving essential natural resources like forests and coral reefs, supporting sustainable tourism and community-driven conservation efforts.
Thanks to the contributors for the insights and fresh perspectives: Thomas ArmittSamantha SmitsJamie BurrCharles OdomSarah O. VidalTerry BlackburnSamira Holma
👉 https://lnkd.in/ew39xRfF#ResponsibleTourism#TourismTrends#TourismTrends2025#Sustainability
Fáilte Ireland is pleased to support the Sustainable Tourism Destinations programme for members of the Carlow Garden Trail. The programme, which concluded last week, helps participants reduce their carbon footprint and adopt eco-friendly tourism practices.
By investing in skills development, we empower participants with the tools and knowledge to embrace sustainable development, aligning with our net carbon targets for 2050.
We look forward to the positive impact this initiative will bring to Carlow and Ireland’s Ancient East as we continue to champion sustainable tourism across Ireland.
Carlow Tourism
Beannachtaí na Féile oraibh!
We say a big thank you to every person, team, network and destination that we collaborated with in 2024. It continues to be a wonderful journey!
We wish you a restful and restorative Christmas and we look forward to our onward journey in 2025!
We have opted not to send as many cards and tokens this year, and have instead made a donation to the Joe Slattery Fund for Future Care https://gofund.me/cc08bf6f and to the UNICEF Gaza Appeal https://lnkd.in/e5bxCPyA
Beirigí bua!
We couldn’t be prouder of the Carlow Garden Trail members and partners who completed our accredited Level 6 Certificate in Sustainable Tourism Destinations this week! 🎉 🎓
16 learners from 13 public, private, and community organisations involved with Carlow Garden Trail journeyed together over 15 weeks. Earlier this week, each submitted a Sustainability Action Plan and presented their reflections to their peers and an Independent Assessor from Munster Technological University.
It was a very special milestone for the group! 📣
The learners completed 10 modules, focusing on 3 key strands:
1. 🌿 LEANER & GREENER: reducing costs and emissions through managing waste, water and energy
2. ☀️ BETTER & BRIGHTER: helping your business and your visitor to deliver net positive benefit to the destination
3. 📣 LOUDER & PROUDER: communicating and marketing sustainable tourism practices
🚎 They also embarked on a 2-day Learning Journey to the The Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark, to meet peer businesses in Burren Ecotourism Network and to see at first hand how the 3 strands can be integrated in practice.
They say it takes a village 🤝 - this achievement was made possible with the help and input of many:
⭐ Carlow Tourism, Carlow County Council, and Fáilte Ireland#IrelandsAncientEast for their vision and support
⭐ Munster Technological University for oversight of learning and quality, assessment and accreditation.
⭐ Specialist trainers and mentors Aine Martin, Irene Hamilton MBA BSc, Oonagh O'Dwyer and Mary Reynolds
⭐ Burren Ecotourism Network hosts Jarlath O'DwyerGeorge QuinnAillwee Burren ExperienceFalls Hotel & SpaBurren SmokehouseCaherconnell Stone Fort & Field SchoolDoolin Ferry Co.Hotel Doolin
⭐ Arboretum Garden CentreDelta Sensory Gardens Carlow and @Altamont Plant Sales who provided venues for workshops.
We were absolutely delighted to facilitate this learning journey.
Comhgháirdeas mór do Carlow Garden Trail agus gach duine a bhain pháirt sa chlár.
Beirigí bua! 🌱✨
🌿 Embarking on a Journey with Carlow Garden Trail 🌿
Over the past 12 weeks, I've had the incredible opportunity to join members of the Carlow Garden Trail on a transformative journey. Together, we explored sustainable tourism through a programme supported by Fáilte Ireland and Carlow Tourism and delivered by The Tourism Space®
The programme concluded in Carlow yesterday with presentations on learnings, challenges, and next steps. Great to hear how the programme has influenced actions towards a more sustainable future and to witness this group's collaboration and sharing of experiences. A bonus is that this programme is accredited by Munster Technological University (MTU) as a Certificate in Sustainable Tourism Destinations.
A huge thank you to the Carlow Garden Trail members who participated in the programme. Thanks also to Eileen O'Rourke and Elisa from Carlow Tourism, Tina O'Dwyer from The Tourism Space, Tj OConnor from MTU, and Coilín O’Reilly and Jannette O'Brien, Carlow County Council, for their collaboration and support. And thanks to Arboretum Carlow, Altamont Plants and Delta Sensory Gardens for providing venues throughout the programme.
This journey has been incredibly rewarding for me personally as I've gained valuable insights into sustainable tourism and built connections with passionate individuals who want to make a positive impact. I look forward to continuing our work together and contributing to a greener, more sustainable future
Tina O'Dwyer | Founder & Chief Facilitator at The Tourism Space® | Sustainable & Regenerative Tourism Advocate | Keynote Speaker | Leadership Coach
Reflections from the IAAT Conference 🤔✨
There’s something special about a conference with its own distinctive personality—and yesterday’s IAAT Conference in Killarney certainly delivered.
Apart from my detailed notes, I came away with some standout reflections as well:
🌄 Outdoor Adventure Sets the Tone
I missed out on the outdoor activities on Day 1, but I didn’t miss the buzz. The exhilaration, excitement, and that satisfying fatigue were evident in everyone who took part. It carried right through the evening networking and into the Day 2 conference.
🌟 Hungry, Thirsty, Tired: A Perfect Fit in Tourism
As IAAT Chair Colin Wolfe said in his opening address, this sector’s role is to create experiences that leave people hungry, thirsty, and tired. It’s such a simple yet perfect description of how adventure tourism fits into the wider tourism ecosystem.
🔗 Tourism: A True Connector Across the Island
This event had a genuine All-Island feel—reflected in the IAAT Board, the range of speakers, and the choice of themes. Tourism is such a powerful connector—within counties, between counties, across borders, and among visitors, businesses, and state agencies. Few industries bring Ireland’s people, places, and purpose together quite like this one.
🌿 Better Together
Collaboration was a recurring theme throughout the day. As the Chair so rightly pointed out at the outset “The bigger our constituency, the greater our voice.” The membership and influence of the IAAT is clearly growing—and I expect we’ll be hearing a lot more from them in the years to come.
🧩 Authenticity vs. AI: A Tourism Conundrum
Tourism thrives on Authenticity, yet Artificial Intelligence is becoming more central. The tension between these two is fascinating—and unresolved for me. Thanks to Ciaran Connolly for sparking such thought-provoking ideas, both on and off the stage.
💚 Tourism and the many Dimensions of Care
The idea of care ran through so many conversations: government care for the sector; business and visitor care for communities and ecology; industry care for visitors, helping them find escape, adventure, and wellbeing; and, crucially, self-care for the passionate people driving this sector forward.
Pól Ó Conghaile O’Conghaile reminded us that wellbeing isn’t all about spas and luxury pampering, and Dermot Whelan wrapped up the day with his uplifting message about finding joy and balance in simple, actionable ways that truly work for you.
Great to get to chat with so many people from across the sector - too many to tag here!
A huge congratulations to Brendan Kenny, CEO of Ireland's Association for Adventure Tourism and his entire support team for a fantastic event that seems to go from strength to strength each year.
Mark your calendars for 26–28 November 2025—it’s one not to miss!
#TourismLeadership#AdventureTourism#CollaborativeTourism#AuthenticityAndAI#WellbeingInTourism#TheTourismSpace#TourismConference