MBTAs: Who will take home the Responsible Tourism Award?

Creative solutions to deal new challenges

Loughcrew Estate and Gardens

About

The first Lightscape show in Loughcrew Estate near Oldcastle took place last Christmas in very testing times and drew an audience of over 7,000 people.

This year it is projected that double this amount will visit its Alice in Wonderland show in the run up to Christmas. Every installation in the show is made from upcycled materials which it harvests from skips, donations and even waste that is fly-tipped on the side of the road.

At Loughcrew it has either reused or rebuilt every installation from last year. For example its figures of Tweedledee and Tweedledum started life as Helium pressure cylinders left behind by wedding guests on the estate with The Giant Chandelier made up of hundreds of empty water bottles from its coffee shop and The Rabbit hole made from old discarded Trampolines.

The show has proved to be a major boost to Tourism further putting Loughcrew and the wider area on both the local and international map with many international bookings already taken for this year.

Next year’s Theme is based on Irish and Celtic Mythology, digging deep to find many fascinating stories and little known facts to create an international spectacle.

What did you learn most from the last 12-18 months

For a business to survive changes, such as Covid, it needs to be adaptable and show great communication and leadership skills. At Loughcrew, the team has been forced to rely on creative solutions to new challenges such as the lightshow spectacle which brings a bit of light into the darkest part of the year and gives a little hope, inspiration and belief to staff, as well as visitors.

Accommodating excellence with a strong environmental ethos

Decoy Country Cottages

About us…

In 2007 Paula and Conor Irwin started Decoy Country Cottages, at Lismullin, Navan. While the timing may have been poor and the first few years were very difficult, it had at least some clarity of vision. The couple wanted to provide high quality accommodation in rural Co Meath but with a strong environmental ethos in mind. They used reclaimed building materials, installed a geothermal heating system and actively encouraged guests to recycle as much as possible. They have since added solar thermal heating and power panels.

While Paula is head of the business, she has great support from local businesses and employs housekeeping, cleaning and gardening staff to help with the cottages and grounds.

The 8 cottages are all unique in design and have very individual charm and range in size from 1 - 4 bedrooms and aim to provide a haven of peace away from the stresses of today's hectic lifestyle.

Paula collaborates with other local businesses as much as possible and is delighted to report that they are still very much in business and proud to be part of the hospitality sector in the beautiful Boyne Valley area in Meath.

Lessons learned from the last 18 months

“We have learned that we should never think too far ahead of ourselves as you can never tell what is around the corner,” says Paula. “But we also realised that sometimes great challenges bring a sharper focus and help us reimagine the way we do business. Covid was very cruel to us in 2019 but 2020 was our best year in business.”

Valuable learnings ensured the fun didn't stop

Tayto Park

About…

The Ashbourne park opened in November 2010 and has expanded quickly as visitor interest rose. For younger guests, the park features attractions like the Flight school or the LadyBird Loop. For older (and braver) visitors, the park has rides like the Cú Chulainn Coaster and the Viking Voyage.

Tayto Park also features a wide array of general attractions that are suitable for the whole family. These include the World of Raptors show, Lemur woods, the Steam Train Express, Fosset's Circus and the 5D cinema, in addition to our expansive zoo. The zoo features close to 100 different species of animals, with both exotic and domestic breeds. The park also offers a wide range of dining options that can cater to a variety of dietary needs.

The Lodge restaurant offers a selection of hot meals (ranging from kids meals to hot dinner meals), sweet treats, and tea and coffee facilities. There are also other dining options located around the park, including the Argentinian Grill, the Twisted Chip, Sausies, the Pizza Place, the Outback.

Lessons learned from the last 18 months

The 18 months have thought management in Tayto Park a lot about the domestic market. For the first time ever the entire booking system moved online, with capacity restrictions, booking time slots, sanitisation units, mask wearing, indoor and outdoor dining restrictions all core priorities for the business.

Tayto Park has had to adapt dramatically to yo-yo-ing closures and re-openings.

The staff, and not to mention supportive visitors and attraction-goers, have kept Tayto Park alive over the last year.