A champion of tourism

When Disney opened its European theme park near Paris in 1992 the project was intended to form an exciting and lucrative new chapter in the story of world's largest media and entertainment conglomerate. However, the EuroDisney debut of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck & Co. was no fairytale, as Fiona Budds of Athlone IT recalled. Now a lecturer in the Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure studies, Fiona worked in the early 90s as a restaurant manager in a hotel, Sequoia Lodge, at EuroDisney. “The opening of EuroDisney was a humongous task. It was the biggest opening Disney ever had because the theme park, six hotels and a golf course all opened at the same time. The other openings were incremental,†she explained. “It wasn't a happy beginning. A lot of mistakes were made and there was a lot of resentment from the Parisian community and France in general. Culturally, Disney steamrolled in with its American culture and its own way of doing things. Despite the name EuroDisney it wasn't European at all, it was totally American.†She said rules such as no facial hair for male staff, no alcohol in the parks (which meant no wine being served in even the most expensive Disney restaurants), and the serving of American, rather than French, coffee were among the cultural missteps which caused problems during the resort's early days. “Also, in our hotel, they made the assumption that French and other European guests don't eat breakfast. From day one we would have had 2,500 guests in house and a 350-seater restaurant in which to serve breakfast. So the learning curve of working there was phenomenal. You learned on the spot and it was difficult but enjoyable at the same time,†she said. Before working at EuroDisney, Fiona completed an internship at Walt Disney World Florida, and she credits her time with the corporation as being hugely beneficial toward her future career development. “It was very exciting. In Florida, you saw the cultural differences between the American service workers and ourselves. The 'have a nice day' culture, or as they'd say, 'have a Disney day'. One of the attractions about Disney compared to other tourism or hospitality organisations was that they were very progressive in terms of investing in people and training. It was an opportunity to learn from best practice and was a great place to start.†Fiona began working at Athlone IT in 1996 and has remained there ever since, with the exception of two years spent at Waterford IT. A native of Dublin, she said her love of travel from an early age is what sparked an interest in the hospitality sector. After leaving her school, Muckross Park College in Donnybrook, in 1987, she went on to do a degree course in hotel and catering management at Cathal Brugha Street. “At that time even getting in to college was very difficult. There weren't enough places for everybody and most of those who I went to college with would have gone abroad to work. The tourism and hotel sector in Ireland was so much smaller then. You could have counted the hotels in Dublin on two hands, whereas now we have the other extreme of oversupply.†In her final year of college she was offered the internship with Disney in Florida, and subsequently spent two years working at EuroDisney. She then accumulated further experience in the hospitality sector by working at a hotel in Houston, Texas. By then Fiona had become interested in lecturing in hospitality and tourism and so participated in the first MBS Master's degree in Travel and Tourism at UCD. “After I finished my Master's I worked in Jury's Hotel group. That was a good experience, but my goal and focus was to try and move into the lecturing sphere. I got a job with Fáilte Ireland at a tourism training college in Killarney. And then I came to Athlone IT in 1996.†Her average work week currently consists of a mixture of lecturing, preparing for lectures, and working on other projects such as the development of new courses. “The job is very varied. I suppose that's the joy of it,†she said. “Obviously the student base has difficulties at the moment with registration costs and grants, and their part-time jobs are gone. But at the same time this is a lovely environment to work in. We have great facilities at AIT and I enjoy the atmosphere created by students' idealism, freshness and sense of humour.†She stated that the course offering in the Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure has adapted to meet changing trends in the industry by adding initiatives such as a degree in spa management which is the first of its kind in Ireland. “An important feature of our courses is the provision of work placements. This gives our students a competitive edge and a recent IBEC report identifies this feature as a primary differentiator when hiring graduates,†she stated. The tourism sector in Ireland is currently facing huge challenges, not least of which is the declining number of overseas visitors to the country. Against this backdrop, what can the industry in the Midlands do to stay afloat? “Well, there are many difficulties at the moment, as we all know,†replied Fiona. “Cash flow difficulties are killing some really good businesses. The seasonal nature of the industry makes it more difficult. Then there's the question of oversupply, with the number of hotels that were built for tax incentives or whatever other reasons. “At the same time, there are pluses and advantages for the Midlands. Access has improved. We have the domestic market - people are choosing to support their own areas and travel at home. In times of recession people like to go back to a more natural, authentic and nostalgic-type experience. The midlands is well-placed to capitalise on that. It isn't over-developed, there's genuine hospitality and beautiful scenery to be experienced.†She emphasised the importance of promoting the lakelands and waterways 'brand' for tourism in the midlands. “A high quality product has been developed. The region already attracts 245,000 overseas visitors and 383,000 domestic holiday makers. But the marketing of the region - giving it an identity - is key. “Mid Ireland Tourism have put together a great guide that shows people what's in the Midlands and a lot of it is undiscovered..†In the future she believes that the lakelands concept, the hosting of sporting events and activities, and the promotion of the Midlands' Christian heritage are areas which could be further explored to make the region's offering to tourists more attractive. The wife of Ciaran, and mother of Conor, Brian and Anna, Fiona said family life takes up most of her time outside of work. “My three children keep me on my toes. Also I like reading, book clubs, walking and travelling.†As our conversation comes to a close the joys of travel are again touched upon when I ask Fiona what's the best advice she ever received. “It's that travel broadens the mind,†she replied. “We do have to learn from other people and travel helps you to be innovative and creative and see things from a different perspective.â€