Multi-award winning marine biologist, wildlife cameraman and documentary producer Doug Allan will be visiting Donegal next week to speak at the two-day Connecting our Coastline conference.
The conference will take place on the 5th and 6th September in the Redcastle Oceanfront Hotel and will look at opportunities to continue to develop sustainable marine and coastal tourism in Donegal. According to Donegal County Council’s Head of Tourism Barney McLaughlin, it will be an excellent opportunity for any business, group or individual with an interest in this developing sector.
“This conference is not only an excellent opportunity for networking with other likeminded business or individuals, it is also an opportunity to gain some great tips and advice to put into practical use in your own business or region. Attendees can also engage with the expert panel of guest speakers including Doug Allan through the Q&A sessions. The Conference is open to everyone with an interest in tourism and in particular in marine tourism and in developing Donegal as a marine tourism destination of excellence” says Barney McLaughlin.
Other speakers include Mark Rowlette, Fáilte Ireland who will provide and update on the Wild Atlantic Way and other trade opportunities and local business owner William McElhinney from Wild Strands Caife in Inishowen who will be speaking about his experiences in setting up a new business on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Dr. Peter Bolan, Senior Tourism Lecturer at the University of Ulster will be discussing cross-border marketing opportunities, creating unique tourism products and diversifying into new markets. Dr. Stephen Hynes from SEMRU (Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit) in National University of Ireland, Galway will be discussing a survey of marine and coastal tourism activities in Ireland and Emagine Media will be discussing new technologies for tourism promotion such as Virtual Reality.
There will be a presentation from Sport Ireland on the development of Blueways including an introduction to the new development guide and accreditation scheme while Dr. Margaret Rae from the Marine Institute will introduce the new ‘Go Atlantic Blue’ initiative.
Trish Hegarty from Inis Communications will highlight opportunities from the Donegal Connect initiative and Marine and Rural Resources expert and Managing Director of Islander Kelp Ltd, Kate Burns will be speaking on ‘making marine tourism work in peripheral regions’. Gwénael Le Maguer from the Université Bretagne Sud will deliver a workshop on designing and building eco-friendly boats as part of the CAPITEN project.
The conference is being hosted by Donegal County Council in association with Donegal Tourism CLG and the CAPITEN project funded by the EU Atlantic Area Programme. Attendance is free but booking is essential and you can book your place at www.govisitdonegal.com/trade-resources .
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