Hook Lighthouse manager Anne one of first graduates of new tourism course
THE General Manager at Hook Lighthouse & Visitor Centre was among the first group of students to graduate from a new Hospitality and Tourism Executive Development Programme run by Failte Ireland in conjunction with the Irish Management Institute (IMI).
Anne Waters was one of 19 senior tourism business managers presented with certificates having successfully completed the course.
The course is the first ever strategic management training programme aimed specifically at tourism businesses and a number of the graduates have secured promotion either within their own group or with new employers.
Speaking about the programme Ms Waters said it was a fantastic and beneficial experience for her personally.
‘ The programme has been a fantastic learning journey for me, both professionally and personally,’ she said.
‘I have gained new insights and developed goals and strategies to develop sustained business growth at Hook [and] my mentoring visit with Frank Roche was very useful and he gave me great pointers for graphing out a future growth strategy,’ she added.
Ms Waters said that completing the course has made her more confident about strategising for major expansion and growth into the future.
Orla Carroll, Director of Product Development at Fáilte Ireland, said the course is designed to meet the challenges of modern tourism while Julie Ryan, Head of Customised Executive Programmes at IMI, said it will enhance leadership skills and ‘ensure Irish tourism leaders are Brexit-ready.’