Abbey Court Hotel Nenagh

Nenagh Rail Partnership hosts major rail seminar

&Nbsp;  “Irish Rail and Failte Ireland recently launched an initiative to get more people using our railways for tourism activities. Here in North Tipperary we have an array of products that we can offer, from walking, cycling, fishing, horseriding and water activities and sports as well as having some fantastic accommodation and food outlets / restaurants,” she said.    The incoming Mayor of Nenagh said that the programme was varied and offered scope to help this area reach its full potential. The seminar will be opened by North Tipperary’s Alan Kelly, Junior Minister for Public and Commuter Transport, and the keynote speaker at the seminar’s dinner on Friday, June 17, in the Abbey Court Hotel, is Don Cunningham director, new works, Irish Rail, who was involved in the reopening of the Limerick to Galway line.    Among the speakers is Dr Paul Salveson, founder of the Association of Community Rail Partnerships in Britain. He has helped formulate the Community Rail Development Strategy supported   by the UK Government and rail industry. He has held senior management positions in Northern Rail and Grand Central. He is a member of the British Department for Transport’s Community Rail Steering Group and is active in many community organisations, including the Penistone Line Partnership, which he set up in 1993.    Ms Grainger’s career in tourism and travel spans some 25 years. With roots in tourism product development, working with small tourism enterprises in the Shannon Region, she has worked abroad in destination marketing, aviation marketing and e-travel. In Ireland, she set up her own tourism consultancy business. She has undertaken projects throughout Ireland and in the Kingdom of Jordan where she was lead consultant to an international team commissioned to prepare a 5 Year Strategic Marketing Plan   for the Jordan Tourism Board. She works with destinations, communities and with small tourism suppliers and has been selected as one of the overseas sales advisors for Failte Ireland’s new Sales Connect programme - a support tool to assist tourism providers win new business in overseas markets.    “Mr Deegan is providing a bus free of charge to allow us explore what this area has to offer, especially the towns and villages along the line.

Conference: Reviving Rural Rail : Irish Environmental Network

 

Abbey Court Hotel, Nenagh, Co.Tipperary

Friday 17th – Sunday 19th June 2011.

 

Theme

Ireland’s rural railway lines should be actively promoted as a means of bringing more visitors to the areas they serve, including overseas tourists. They could give the communities they serve a valuable advantage in competing for business. This conference will show how.

What kind of visitors might be attracted?

Overseas visitors based in the capital without a car Visitors looking for the real Ireland, rather than the usual tourist honey pots Visitors looking for sustainable transport options Families and visitors for whom rail travel is a novelty Dubliners who do not own a car, including many young professionals Walkers and cyclists.

Such visitors can build their schedules around existing rail timetables and can make a valuable contribution to passenger numbers and ticket receipts. This in turn helps to make the case for improved services – which in turn attract more passengers, in both directions.

This is a proven method of reviving rural rail services.  It works best when all elements of the local community work with the railway company to promote and market the line in a Community Rail

Dr Salveson established the Association of Community Rail Partnerships in the UK in the mid-1990s and helped formulate the Community Rail Development Strategy supported by the UK Government and rail industry. He now works as an independent consultant and writer.

10.45 am: Tea/Coffee

11.00 am: Mr.