About us
Meet the Team
Tina O'Dwyer
Managing Director, Programme Design, Strategic Facilitator, Executive Coach
Jarlath O'Dwyer
Business Trainer, Facilitator, Business Coach, Networks Lead
Our Backstory
Expert Associates
Jo-Anne Mac Millan
Coach, Trainer, Therapist, Website and Learning Platform Development Expert
The principles that guide us:
Collaboration: None of us is as smart as all of us.
Community: We thrive together.
Simplicity: The more complicated it gets, the less important it becomes.
Profitability: Profit gives freedom and continuity.
Place: It's all about place, the people of the place and the stories of the place.
Regeneration: Tourism can breathe life into people and places.
What we believe
We believe strongly in widespread collaboration, professional development and transformational leadership as cornerstones of tourism's future. That's why we seek to use our skills to support those three areas.
For us, ‘Better Tourism’ means becoming carbon efficient, certainly. That's just one part of it though. It's not just about doing less harm, it's hugely about doing more good and ensuring our places are better as a result of tourism. It means not just satisfying visitors, but empowering them to have transformational experiences. It means celebrating profitable, local businesses that provide continuity and structure in their communities
A lot to ask?? It certainly is!
We don't pretend to have all the answers, or even any of them. However, what we believe most of all is that, through working together, we can explore the big questions and together navigate a new way forward.
#BetterTogether
Our Inspiration
The Celtic Tree of Life represents a balance of harmony within nature. While the branches reach for the sky, the roots permeate the earth. It clearly shows the link between every root below the ground and every branch above
For the Celts, the tree symbolized the web of life. It represented rebirth. It also stood for inner strength, wisdom and knowing.
Oak trees grow tall and mighty. Eventually, they stop growing upwards but keep growing wider, richer and deeper. They become an ecosystem of their own, in which other living things can flourish. Interestingly, some oak trees have even been shown to become smaller for the good of the overall ecosystem!
We seek to be inspired by this example from nature in our business, in our work with clients and in our advocacy for sustainable and regenerative approaches in tourism.
Associations
We provide an annual financial donation to sponsor the Regenerative Burren Pine Project and the work of landscape charity, the Burrenbeo Trust.
Our Pollinator Plan Pledge is to raise awareness and advocate support for this programme in our events.
Hometree enable us to plant a native Irish tree for every event ticket we sell. We also contribute a lump sum in recognition of travel we undertake for business.
We are a Business Friend of The Burren Ecotourism Network.
We mentor industry research projects of undergraduate tourism management students.
Tina serves on the Strategic Advisory Board for the Galway International Hotel School.
We commit to continuous professional development for food tourism.
We commit to our own continuous professional development in professional coaching.
Tina serves on the Responsible Tourism Steering Group for the Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions in Ireland.
Aoibheann is an accredited Leave No Trace Trainer. We incorporate and promote Leave No Trace principles in our programmes.
We have highlighted the importance of accessible and inclusive tourism in our destination training programmes through training delivered by CARA Centre.
