Cork Airport MD is new tourism industry chairperson

THE managing director of Cork Airport, Niall MacCarthy, has been elected chairperson of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) at their annual general meeting.

Mr MacCarthy, taking over from Elaina Fitzgerald Kane, of Fitzgerald’s Woodlands House Hotel & Spa, Adare, will be chairperson for two years.

As an aviation executive and fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, Mr MacCarthy has worked in various roles across the Dublin Airport Authority (daa) Group since 2000, at Dublin, Shannon, Cork, and Jeddah airports.

He also served two terms as chair of Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe) Regional Airports Forum in Brussels. Prior to the daa Group, he worked at Dunnes Stores’s head office in Dublin for seven years.

Mr MacCarthy said: “I am delighted to be elected as the 21st chairperson of ITIC, a renowned and respected organisation that is the voice of tourism and hospitality interests, the largest indigenous industry in the country and biggest regional employer.”

Paying tribute to Ms Fitzgerald Kane, he said: “She has served the industry passionately and with distinction and the tourism sector owes her an enormous debt of gratitude.

“Tourism and hospitality are in our blood in Ireland, but we should never take our industry for granted.”

“Like all important industries, tourism needs continuing focus and policy support from government to ensure it grows and thrives into future,” he added.

“We in ITIC look forward to working with our industry partners and in collaboration with government and state agencies to grow Ireland’s tourist numbers, value, and employment base sustainably over the next few years.”

Irish tourism industry confederation CEO, Eoghan O’Mara-Walsh, said: “Niall will be a really strong chairperson of ITIC and will represent member interests strongly as we look to grow the sector for the benefit of business, the exchequer, and employment.”