Inspiring Sustainable Tourism Conference set to take place in Northern Ireland for the first time on Thursday 22 January 2026 in Killeavy Castle Estate, Co Armagh

With the theme of ‘Climate Action, Community and Collaboration’, this year’s Inspiring Sustainable Tourism Conference will take place in Killeavy Castle Estate in Co Armagh on Thursday 22 January 2026. Now in its seventh year, this is the first time the renowned conference will take place in Northern Ireland.The event is supported by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.

The event is organised by the Sustainable Tourism Network (formerly Sustainable Travel Ireland) and its recently launched sister company, the Sustainable Business Network. The Sustainable Tourism Network is the leading and longest-running sustainability training company for the tourism industry on the island of Ireland.

This year’s Inspiring Sustainable Tourism line-up will appeal to leaders in both the tourism industry and the wider business community. The agenda will feature a hugely impressive group of experts, industry professionals and leaders from the field. Delegates are also invited to enjoy a tour of Killeavy’s sustainability efforts as a pre-conference activity.

Conference contributor highlights will include:

Seán McCabe, Head of Climate Justice and Sustainability, Bohemian Football Club

At Bohemian Football Club, Seán McCabe has built a team dedicated to developing inclusive and cooperative climate solutions that can benefit local communities and can be scaled throughout world football. The club actively promotes climate action through projects like the Bohemian Climate Co-operative and The Spark, fostering community wealth and accessible climate solutions. Seán has previously worked with the Mary Robinson Foundation and has more than 18 years experience in fields related to climate justice. His work combines grassroots action with international advocacy.

Kellie-Ann Hoey, Group Communications & Responsible Business Director, SHS Group

Kellie-Ann Hoey spearheads all internal and external corporate communications at SHS Group, alongside leading their responsible business initiatives. She has been instrumental in shaping the group’s responsible business journey and oversees the group’s wellbeing & inclusion, sustainability and community-engagement strategies. Kellie-Ann also chairs Business in the Community (BITC) NI’s CR Leaders Network and contributes to committees such as the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and GroceryAid. In 2023, she received the BITC Responsible Business Ambassador Award for her outstanding commitment to driving positive change both internally and externally. In 2025 SHS Group was named NI Responsible Company of the Year at BITC NI’s Responsible Business Awards.

Adrian Martin, Director of Hospitality, Killeavy Castle Estate

Adrian Martin has 20+ years’ experience managing luxury hotels and heritage estates. As Director of Hospitality since March 2024, Adrian is committed to delivering world-class guest experiences while anchoring every aspect of the estate in a deep respect for heritage, community and the natural environment. Under his leadership, Killeavy Castle Estate builds on its pioneering ‘people & place’ ethos and has earned multiple sustainability awards, including ‘Sustainable Hospitality & Tourism Business of the Year’, recognising its zero-waste food programme, single-use plastic reduction, extensive recycling and composting, and a farm-to-fork model bringing estate produce from its gardens and farm to its restaurants. Killeavy is also undertaking a multi-year, £1.5 million landscape restoration project across its 365-acres, rewilding woodlands and farmland, planting native broadleaf species, enhancing biodiversity and fostering a carbon-positive environment.

Darren Rice, Manager, Mourne Gullion Strangford UNESCO Global Geopark

Darren Rice has worked since the early 2000s to connect people with the natural, cultural and built heritage of the Mourne Gullion Strangford UNESCO Global Geopark. He leads a wide range of projects, from restoring peatlands and creating woodlands to protecting wildlife, supporting pollinators and engaging people with the marine environment. His work is rooted in partnership, where councils, charities, landowners and volunteers collaborate to achieve lasting impact on the ground. Darren is also one of the Council’s official representatives on the European Geopark Network, the Global Geopark Network and both Ireland and UKs Geopark Forums.

Joe McGirr, Founder, The Boatyard Distillery

Joe McGirr is the founder of The Boatyard Distillery, Fermanagh’s first legal distillery since 1890. Joe set up the business with an ambition to make a gin so perfect for Martinis that it would be poured in the world’s finest bars and restaurants around the world. The business launched a Green Team called ‘Better Boatyard’ in 2022 with the task of improving the overall sustainability and governance of the business. This led to the business becoming the first distillery on the island of Ireland to gain the prestigious B Corp Certification in 2023.

Michelle Boyle is Head of Tourism Product Development & Visitor Experience at Newry, Mourne and Down District Council

Michelle Boyle is Head of Tourism Product Development & Visitor Experience at Newry, Mourne and Down District Council since 2018. Over the past 14 years, Michelle played a leading role in the successful designation of the Mourne Gullion Strangford UNESCO Global Geopark. This work involved building strong partnerships across local communities, government and international bodies, while ensuring that the region’s unique geological heritage was not only protected but also celebrated as a driver for sustainable tourism. Michelle is also the Council’s official tourism representative on the European Geopark Network and the Global Geopark Network.

Joe Higgins, Head of Operations, Risk & Sustainability, Guinness Storehouse with Diageo Irish Brand Homes

Joe Higgins leads a team at the Guinness Storehouse with Diageo Irish Brand Homes that has achieved great sustainability strides across energy, waste, water, biodiversity conservation, and social justice. He is perhaps proudest of these social justice initiatives, which have included becoming accredited with AsIAm, Ireland’s national autism charity, and introducing a dedicated sensory friendly morning every month. Diageo Irish Brand Homes works with St. Michael’s House to offer employment opportunities, as well as with both Learning for Life and the Junior Achievement Ireland (JAI). JAI facilitates volunteers from Diageo Irish Brand Homes to spend time teaching and mentoring in local schools and welcomes students from those schools for work experience. The Guinness Storehouse builds on Guinness’s long standing legacy of local community support with several initiatives, most recently with the launch of the Guinness Dublin 8 Community Fund with Diageo Ireland, which sees €1 million being invested in local community initiatives and projects over five years.

More great speakers will be announced in the coming period. For the full line-up and tickets, visit: Sustainable Tourism Network.

Councillor Philip Campbell, Chairperson of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, said, “Newry, Mourne and Down District Council are delighted to support the Sustainable Tourism Conference at Killeavy Castle Estate, a truly fitting venue that showcases the natural beauty and heritage of the Mourne, Gullion, Strangford Geopark. This conference reflects our ongoing commitment to promoting sustainable tourism that benefits our local communities, protects our environment, and celebrates what makes Mourne, Gullion Strangford such a unique destination.”

Killeavy Castle Estate was chosen as the venue for this conference because this business continuously shows great dedication to delivering positive impacts on its local, social and environmental landscape, while also reducing negative ones. Killeavy Castle Estate was also named Sustainable Hospitality & Tourism Business of the Year in 2024 and 2025 at the Business Eye Sustainability Awards. Killeavy Castle Estate is also a committed member of the Sustainable Tourism Network.

Mick Boyle, owner of Killeavy Castle Estate stated: “We are delighted to be the host venue for this year’s Inspiring Sustainable Tourism conference. Sustainability and regenerative tourism efforts are at the core of everything that we do on our estate, with the aim of providing our guests with luxury Northern Irish hospitality, whilst protecting and indeed enhancing our natural environment. This year, we have forged ahead on our sustainability journey, introducing solar panels to our hotel and farm store, and we have planted over 27,000 native broadleaf trees on the slopes of Slieve Gullion, which will in time create a biodiversity corridor across the estate and into the adjoining forest park. We look forward to welcoming businesses from across Ireland to attend the conference at Killeavy Castle Estate in January and to showcasing what this beautiful region, and indeed our own estate, are doing to enhance our natural environment, community and tourism experiences.”

Speaking about the upcoming Inspiring Sustainable Tourism conference, Sustainable Tourism Network Director Rob Rankin, stated:

“Tourists are demanding more environmentally friendly and sustainable products and they are not happy when they can’t get them. So the tourism industry must step up – both to do the right thing by future generations and to meet their customers’ demand.

“Furthermore, sustainability is about much more than just the environment. It’s tourism that seeks to balance the needs of visitors, the tourism industry, the environment and host communities. It is built on the ‘triple bottom line’ of environmental management, economic health and social responsibility. In essence, sustainable tourism aims to minimise negative impacts, such as environmental degradation, overcrowding and cultural dilution, and maximise positive contributions, like job creation, cultural preservation and environmental and biodiversity protection.”

The Sustainable Tourism Network’s mission is to transform the tourism industry on the island of Ireland into a regenerative business sector that respects and protects the environment, but also supports local communities and makes better places for people to live and work in.

Globally, travel and tourism tourism accounted 6.5% of all emissions in 2023*. However, as the largest indigenous industry on the island of Ireland, tourism is vital to the economy, and particularly to the economy of rural areas. So it’s critical that this industry becomes a sustainable one.

Booking.com’s 2025 Travel & Sustainability Report** reveals that globally travelling more sustainably remains important for 84% of tourists. Back in 2016 this figure stood at 42%. Furthermore, there has been a shift in travellers’ understanding of what sustainable tourism encompasses. For the first time, more than half of travellers (53%) are now conscious of tourism’s impact on local communities, as well as the environment. Furthermore, 73% want the money they spend to go back to the local community and 77% are seeking authentic experiences representative of local culture.

Rankin also stated, “Our Inspiring Sustainable Tourism conference aims to educate and empower businesses about the actions they can take to put sustainability at the heart of their operations and locations. And we’ll show them how it can help not just the planet, but also boost the reputation, image and bottom line of both the location and the business they work in.”

Tickets are available via TICKET Tailor and cost £145 + vat approx (€165 + vat). Discounts of 20% are available for businesses that sign up for membership of the Sustainable Tourism Network or the Sustainable Business Network.