The 11th Annual Tourism & Hospitality Research in Ireland Conference (THRIC) took place in LYIT on 11-12 June 2015.\u00a0The theme for THRIC 2015 was \u2018Collaborative Sustainable Development \u2013 The Way Forward for Tourism\u2019. These conferences are run on an all-Ireland basis and provides an annual opportunity for the dissemination and presentation of research in the broad tourism sector including hospitality and culinary operations. This central theme was\u00a0discussed by a number of keynote speakers with\u00a0a range of presentations on related themes throughout the conference.<\/p>\n
Dr. Diane Dodd, director of IGCAT, participated with the topic\u00a0\u2018The Importance of Culture and Food Diversity for Gastrodiplomacy and Tourism\u2019. In line with IGCAT’s aims, Dr. Dodd spoke about the importance of maintaining the creativity and diversity of food an culture in local\u00a0settings for sustainability, social cohesion, citizen pride,\u00a0education, health and the economy. This is a wake up call in current times where\u00a0fewer owners dominate cultural and food\u00a0markets, and as population grows and\u00a0switches to a globalised diet, which means\u00a0a widening of choice in one direction but, a reduced knowledge\u00a0about their own food culture. However, she stressed that there are some global initiatives and a growing support from different sectors\u00a0for the conservation of the food and cultural diversity. These initiatives range from intergovernmental agreements, such as: the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and\u00a0Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, and\u00a0The Global Sustainable Tourism Council; to grass-root movements as Slow Food, The European Region of Gastronomy; and public policies strategies such as: the Seals of Origin.<\/p>\n
Dr. Dodd explained how gastrodiplomacy is strategic\u00a0to support\u00a0food and cultural diversity as food plays a central role in most national and regional cultural identities,\u00a0providing a source of branding, economic production and sustenance. The task is not easy for regions and nations hoping to brand and support food visibility internationally and nationally, as they have to marry the need for diversity while at the same time projecting a strong and unified image. In the conclusion of\u00a0her keynote speech, Dr. Dodd advocated for a new approach to tourism whereby first and foremost we cherish our citizens way of life, food, customs, our landscapes and heritage. By supporting food and cultural diversity we can feed new tourism initiatives, support SMEs and provide a platform for gastrodiplomacy.<\/p>\n
The Conference was organized by Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT). LYIT is\u00a0celebrating over forty years as a key driver in the economic development of the North-West of Ireland. \u00a0Home to over 3,000 students LYIT comprises four schools; School of Business, School of Engineering, School of Science and of course the School of Tourism based on the Killybegs Campus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The 11th Annual Tourism & Hospitality Research in Ireland Conference (THRIC) took place in LYIT on 11-12 June 2015.\u00a0The theme for THRIC 2015 was \u2018Collaborative Sustainable Development \u2013 The Way Forward for Tourism\u2019. These conferences are run on an all-Ireland basis and provides an annual opportunity for the dissemination and presentation of research in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9613,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n