REMODEL PROJECT ONLINE SUMMER SCHOOL
Sustainable Rural Tourism
The second summer school on “Sustainable Rural Tourism” is scheduled for June 6-7, 2024. It is organized by the Atlantic Technological University (ATU) in collaboration with the REMODEL project. The primary aim of the summer school was to explore sustainable tourism practices, focusing on rural areas. This event aims to help participants understand the best practices in sustainable tourism and develop their own regional applications.
The scope of the summer school is quite broad, covering a variety of topics. These topics include:
• Sustainable tourism certification,
• Sustainable destination management,
• Gastronomy tourism,
• Community engagement,
• Tourism policies and planning strategies.
The summer school continued for two days, with training sessions conducted on the first day featuring expert speakers in their fields. On the second day, visits were made to the Radisson Blu Hotel and Glenveagh National Park for field research. During these visits, sustainable tourism and management practices were explored on-site. During the visit, Radisson Blu Hotel’s Managing Director Paul Byrne and Head of Education & Learning Glenveagh National Park Clara Bromley shared valuable practical insights with the participants.
Summer School Lecturers and Contents
On The first day of our summer school offered a rich program featuring various speakers focusing on sustainable tourism and the publishing process. Prof. Thomas Fletcher (Leeds Beckett University, United Kingdom) delivered a presentation titled “Meet the Editor – Demystifying the Publication Process,” which aimed to simplify the understanding of the publication process and highlight key considerations in academic writing. Dr. Mihee Kang (GSTC Global Assurance and Asia Pacific Director) gave a talk on “The Opportunities and Benefits of GSTC Certification,” discussing sustainable tourism certification and case studies from Türkiye. Charlene Boyle (Fáilte Ireland) presented “The Wild Atlantic Way,” outlining the goals of the Wild Atlantic Way project and strategies for community engagement. Dr. James Hanrahan (ATU Sligo and Director of ASTOI) discussed sustainable tourism policies and management approaches in his presentation, “Introducing STORY ATU’s Sustainable Tourism and Visitor Economy Laboratory.” Lastly, Jacinta Dalton (ATU Galway) presented on “Food and Beverage as a Niche Tourism Product,” focusing on the development of food tourism and significant case studies in the field. These presentations provided participants with diverse perspectives and practical insights on the first day of the summer school.
Thomas Fletcher
Thomas Fletcher is professor in the School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management and Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University, United Kingdom. He is an interdisciplinary applied sociologist with particular interest in sport, equity, diversity and inclusion, social justice, families and fatherhood. Tom is the author of the award- winning book Negotiating Fatherhood: Sport and Family Practices (Palgrave Macmillan). He has a range of roles with international peer review journals and organisations. He is currently a Managing Editor of Leisure Studies, Associate Editor of Events Management and Sport in Society. He was previously Reviews Editor for Soccer & Society. Tom is a Board member of The Academy of Leisure Sciences and sits on the Heritage Advisory Group of the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation. Between 2017 and 2020 Tom was Chair of the Leisure Studies Association. His session named “Meet the Editor – Demystifying the Publication Process” focuses on understanding the perspectives of journal editors and reviewers for researchers who wish to grasp the publication process. It explains the concepts of “contributing” and “adding to the body of knowledge” in publications, analyzes the peer-review process, and examines the reasons for rejections.
Through this content, the following learning outcomes are expected:
• Understanding the perspective of journals and editors.
• Grasping the concept of contributing and adding to the body of knowledge in publications.
• Learning how to respond to reviewer comments.
• Understanding the reasons for rejection and what should be avoided.
Mihee Kang
Dr. Mihee Kang is the GSTC Director of Global Assurance as well as Director for the Asia Pacific region and is active as an authorized GSTC trainer and destination assessor. A trailblazer, Dr Kang was the first person to earn a PhD in ecotourism in Korea from Seoul National University and she retains links with several universities where she actively teaches, conducts research and publishes on the topics of ecotourism and sustainable tourism. Mihee has been involved in sustainable tourism policy development and sustainability assessments of various types of destinations in S. Korea and other countries over 30 years. She has served in both domestic and international organizations such as Korean Geopark Committee, Korea Islands Foundation, Korea Trails and Culture, Jeju World Heritage Committee, Korea Forest Education Committee and the Global Ecotourism Network. The session named “The Opportunities and Benefits of GSTC Certification” provides information on sustainable tourism certification and the GSTC certification program. It addresses the importance of third-party audit control and explores the opportunities and benefits that certification offers to tourism businesses, destinations, and governments.
Through this content, the following learning outcomes are expected:
• Understanding sustainable tourism certification and the GSTC program.
• Grasping the importance of third-party audit control.
• Evaluating the opportunities and benefits that certification offers to the tourism sector.
• Gaining practical insights through a GSTC case study in Turkey.
Charlene Boyle
Charlene Boyle from Failte Ireland is an insight driven, strategic marketer with extensive experience leading and implementing communication and marketing campaigns within the public and private sector. She has an in-depth knowledge of international markets having worked across Tourism Ireland’s overseas network for more than 10 years. However, the call of home was strong, and in 2020, Charlene returned to Donegal with her family, taking up a role within Fáilte Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way team. Promoting the regions natural beauty and fostering sustainable tourism development.
Her session named “The Wild Atlantic Way” focuses on the aim and context of the Wild Atlantic Way project in 2014. It also discusses the products used in the project, community involvement, discovery points, branding, and the successes achieved.
Through this content, the following learning outcomes are expected:
• Understanding the purpose and content of the Wild Atlantic Way project.
• Evaluating the role of community involvement and discovery points in the project.
• Understanding Fáilte Ireland’s priorities and future opportunities.
James Hanrahan
James Hanrahan BA, MSc, PhD is currently a lecturer in Tourism Management in the School of Business and Social Science at Atlantic Technological University Sligo. He has worked as a tour guide, tour operator, tourism manager, tourism entrepreneur, tourism consultant and lecturer in Ireland, New Zealand, Hawaii, Bulgaria, California, and Britain. He has a key set of publications related to sustainable destination management and an established track record in research supervision at PhD level. James applies this research through his work for the public and private sector in tourism planning and development. He is Director of the recently created Atlantic Sustainable Tourism Observatory Ireland using UN Tourism, GSTC and European Tourism Indicator System (ETIS) for Sustainable Destination management, this STO is one of only 44 in the world.
Jacinta Dalton
Jacinta Dalton is Head of Department for Culinary Arts & Service Industries at The Atlantic Technological University, Galway, Ireland and is a member of the Irish Food Champion Assembly. She is an advocate for food education, innovation and community engagement for knowledge exchange and sustainability, consulting with food producers, and assisting with a number of food events and festivals in a voluntary capacity. Jacinta is currently undertaking a Doctorate at the Basque Culinary Centre, where she is researching the impacts of public food procurement on sustainable education and is working on an Erasmus project with European partners on the development of digital and sustainability skills for Tourism SME’s. Jacinta is a board member at the Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts & Tourism (IGCAT).
Her session named “Food and Beverage as a Niche Tourism Product” focuses on the development of food tourism and its impact on people, culture, heritage, and traditions. Case studies from the Basque Country and Ireland are presented.
Through this content, the following learning outcomes are expected:
• Understanding the development and impacts of food tourism.
• Evaluating key trends and case studies in food tourism.
• Understanding the role and future opportunities of F&B tourism in Ireland.
Participants
The REMODEL online summer school organized by ATU received significant interest from academics, researchers, and practitioners. There was a great interest in the summer school, and 55 participants registered.
