Wikis

This assessment on e-tourism asks students to evaluate the e-tourism strategies of a particular destination. Students are broken into groups of 4-5 and all have to participate in all tasks. The wiki style allows the lecturer to see exactly who is contributing to what extent. It also encourages collaboration and students like it as it is something new

Considering Client and Caregiver Experience after Stroke: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies to Enhance Quantitative Research

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the literature on the process of recovery through the perspective of both clients who have experienced stroke and their informal caregivers, in order to discover to what extent the findings of qualitative research enrich those of the quantitative type as to rehabilitation effectiveness. Method: A systematic review of the salient qualitative research within EBSCOHOST, MEDLINE, AJOT, BJOT, and CJOT resulted in 50 articles identified. Of the articles initially identified, 41 met the inclusion criteria for further examination and critical appraisal. Themes that emerged from this review were compared with the results of a similar review performed by Peoples, Stanick, and Steultjens (2011). Results: The overarching theme revealed was expectation versus reality, with six subthemes also evident: need for meaningful goal-setting, need for long-term support, need for improved education, need for more comprehensive support, need for more family/informal caretaker involvement, and a desire for a sense of control. Overlap between themes discovered here and in Peoples et al. (2011) included the need for improved information-sharing and the need for a long-term view of recovery. Final themes surrounding perspectives on the recovery process were considered in comparison to the quantitative findings of Ma and Trombly (2002) and Trombly and Ma (2002). The articles and this review agree that meaningful, realistic, client-centered goal-setting creates the best opportunity for not only improved function, but also for an improved sense of self. Conclusion: Including qualitative literature in evidence-based practice can lead to an enriched understanding of the experience of stroke, leading to improved decision-making regarding the direction of therapeutic intervention

Exhibition Interpretation and the Visitor Experience

This case study explores the techniques used to interpret a commemorative exhibition staged in Dublin city library between the 14th of August and the 31st of October, 2019. The case discusses the way in which multiple media were employed to communicate the exhibition narrative to visitors, and how this resulted in very emotive, personal and meaningful visitor experiences. Through the use of a range of audio-visuals, original images, text, memorabilia and guided tours, the exhibition provided a multi-sensory experience, that engaged different cohorts of visitors with the collections, information and ideas on display. They provided a powerful means of immersing visitors, linking key events, conveying information through both textual and visual narratives, and offered different ways for visitors to interact with the exhibition

The Development of Tourism Areas: a Comparative Case Study of the Factors Underpinning Tourism Development in Killarney and Clifden in Ireland

This research investigates the local, place-based factors that influence tourism development, and asks why some tourism areas develop more than others. It provides important insights into the dynamics that occur at the local level, and contributes to the existing literature on destination development by investigating the influence of local tourist influentials; the presence of a social and professional milieu and the propensity for co-operation. Taking an inter-disciplinary approach, the research draws from existing tourism literature on models of tourism development, as well as literatures on entrepreneurship and industrial district theory. Underpinned by a pragmatic philosophy, it adopts a mixed-methods approach within a redominantly qualitative framework, and undertakes a comparative case study of tourism development in Killarney (a highly developed tourist town in the southwest of Ireland) and Clifden (a less developed tourist area in the west of Ireland). The research provides a comprehensive understanding of the way communities of individuals and businesses, with deep social roots and a common history, can influence tourism development. This detailed analysis of tourism development explores the way in which two tourism areas and communities have engaged with tourism, how their different histories have resulted in different factors of development, and how this has influenced their development as destinations. The research enhances the academic literature on tourism development in Ireland, an area that is extremely underdeveloped. Furthermore, it contributes to our understanding of how destinations develop, and the transferability of its key findings to other tourism areas has implications for both academics and policy-makers alike

Infographic: Design Process for a Corporate Event

Infographic describing the design process for a corporate event

Festivals, Social Order and Community Engagement: The Big Scream Halloween Festival, North East Inner City, Dublin

This case study explores the way in which community festivals can be used to engage and unite, and address social issues in a local community. It explores \u27The Big Scream\u27 Halloween festival in North East Inner City Dublin, a festival that was created by the local county council to address anti-social behaviour during Halloween. It highlights the significant positive impact the festival has had on the local community

Key Legislation for Outdoor Festivals and Events in Ireland

Infographic on Key Legislation for Outdoor Festivals and Events in Ireland, developed as part of the Sustainable Event Industry Knowledge Project (SEIK

Festivals, Social Order and Community Engagement: The Big Scream Halloween Festival, North East Inner City, Dublin.

This case study explores the way in which community festivals can be used to engage and unite, and address social issues in a local community. It explores \u27The Big Scream\u27 Halloween festival in North East Inner City Dublin, a festival that was created by the local county council to address anti-social behaviour during Halloween. It highlights the significant positive impact the festival has had on the local community

Events, social connections, place identities and extended families

The study reported here investigates the role that planned social gatherings play in shaping social connections, forging group identity and re-affirming connections with significant ‘home’ places within families where relationships extend across space. Empirically, it draws on a study of the Gathering, a 2013 national tourism initiative that encouraged people in Ireland to organise ‘gatherings’ to attract ‘home’ family members scattered across the globe. It reports data generated using mixed methods administered in two Irish counties. The findings demonstrate the profound meanings that the gatherings had for participating family members. The events served to strengthen existing family ties and to create new ones both between family members separated by geographic distance and spread across family generations. They further served to renew and revitalise connections with the family ‘home’ place, to enhance a sense of belonging for the family units studied and to strengthen family identity

An Examination of the Role of Placemaking in Tourism on the Entrepreneurial Eco System

Place-making is a topic of increasing interest in the tourism literature as national and local governments and DMOs continue to focus on the competitiveness and attractiveness of their destination. While the focus in the entrepreneurship and innovation literature is on individual entrepreneurs, policies and networks, place is a vital element in the tourism nexus and this concept is explored in this paper. As Solfield et al. (2017, p.2) note ‘place making in tourism.. creates an identity, an image, a difference from other places’. This paper examines how place making can encourage innovation by investigating the case of the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland. The concept of place-making actually originated in the urban development literature where the focus is on ‘planning, design and management of public spaces in urban environments to improve the urban environment and quality of life of communities’ (Solfield et al., 2017, p.3). However as Lew (2017) states, in tourism destination planning and marketing are fundamentally place-making actions intended to shape the image of a place. An objective of place-making in tourism is to increase the attachment of tourists to places, thus increasing the likelihood of return visit and positive recommendations and there has been much research on this particular issue. While the literature has focused on tourists, and marketing and branding efforts, this paper posits that there are also significant impacts in terms of entrepreneurs and innovation. The Wild Atlantic Way (WAW) 2,500 km touring route in Ireland was established in 2014 in a bid to attract tourists to the West of Ireland to experience the scenery and heritage of this coastline. This road along the coast already existed, the WAW project primarily engaged in signposting the route, developing a brand architecture and undertaking an international marketing campaign. The objective is to use this ‘tourism initiative of scale and singularity’ (Failte Ireland, 2015) to attract international tourists to this area. It is a response to the challenge of encouraging international tourists to leave traditional tourist hubs in the country and also to encourage them to stay longer in Ireland. In effect this strategy has created a new ‘place’ in the Irish and tourist lexicon. So the question posed by this research is what is the impact of this place-making initiative on innovation in the area? The research uses the frameworks of entrepreneurial ecosystems and innovation ecosystems, and interviews with entrepreneurs and key stakeholders, to explore how place-making has impacted the different elements of these models along the Wild Atlantic Way. Different types of innovation have been identified in the research. Some entrepreneurs adapted their business and service identity to encompass the Wild Atlantic Way brand, new entrepreneurs have emerged, particularly in the adventure tourism sector, and in some cases businesses have expanded the length of the season that they are open for. For others the big change created by the WAW is that entrepreneurs and ‘places think more about the [tourist] experience’ and they have adapted or expanded their service to incorporate this. The emergence of the WAW has impacted the pillars of the entrepreneurial eco system as markets have become more accessible with the national marketing campaign, new local entrepreneurs have enriched the human capital in the areas, there are increasing supports and training courses offered and the culture is enhanced by visible success and international reputation. Innovation ecosystems focus on the inter relationships between institutions such as government, education, businesses and external bodies and the WAW place-making initiative has brought together such stakeholders. The key findings of this research are that place-making does indeed have an impact on the entrepreneurship and innovation eco systems in tourism destinations, and consequently entrepreneurship and innovation are enhanced. This is an example of how a national policy focused on attracting international tourists can have significant impact at the local level. This local entrepreneurial and innovative activity is also essential to ensure that the place-making concept is delivered to the tourist at the local destination. Thus it is clear that while place making has an effect on tourists and residents as the literature has identified, it also creates a fertile environment for entrepreneurship and innovation, and this is worthy of greater exploration. Solfield, T, Guia, J and Specht, T (2017) Organic ‘folkloric’ community driven place-making and tourism. Tourism Management Vol. 61, pp.1-22. Lew, A (2017) Tourism planning and place making: place-making or placemaking? Tourism Geographies Vol.19, pp.448-466 Failte Ireland (2015) Wild Atlantic Way Operational Programme 2015-201