In the first of the Tomorrow's Visitors Podcasts I am in conversation with John Fitzgerald, Chair of Ballyhoura Failte and proprietor of The Kennedy Rooms in Bruff, Co Limerick. John was a Guest Speaker at the inaugural Cross Border Online Tourism Conference in April 2020 hosted by Dundalk Chamber of Commerce.

John qualified as an Engineer and he was employed by two large US companies which allowed him to travel the world and shaped his outlook on life and business. In this interview, we chat about many aspects of life and tourism, commencing with why visitors come to the Ballyhoura Region, which John refers to as part of Ireland's Hidden Heartlands.

John provides us with a fascinating insight into where he thinks tourism in Ireland is going and why the need to put "service back in to tourism" is so important. According to John, the challenge for visitors and tourism providers is to understand and address the "need to travel v the fear of travel" continuum - where do you sit as a business? Change is happening, so how can tourism providers respond?

John took over the former FCJ Convent in Bruff, now the Kennedy Rooms over 5 years ago and has adapted the building to a major event space, film set and home to the NunsRoom, Ireland's first non-alcoholic bar! He shares his views on film tourism and how and why there is a need to be quirky - this will attract domestic and overseas visitors.

John is committed to sustainable tourism and attracting visitors across the Island of Ireland to Ballyhoura and acknowledges that Staycations will be the focus for the region in the next 24 months.

Towards the end of the interview we chat about John's passion for horses - he is a former Amateur Jockey and a Licensed Racehorse Trainer of flat and national hunt horses at Little Orchard Stud and a frequent visitor to Limerick Racecourse.

So, I think you will detect that I really enjoyed this conversation - John is a great Ambassador for Ballyhoura and the wider region - hoping to pack my bike and head down to see John in the early Autumn 2020.

One of the many takeaways from this podcast - "You have to be different - make service exceptional"