News
Killarney successful in winning high-profile event

Influential travel journalists and 200 travel agents are bound for Killarney next year as the town has been successful in its bid to host the prestigious German DER Touristik Academy.

TRAVEL ACADEMY: Der Touristik a major German tour operator and the largest tour operator from Mainland Europe to the island of Ireland has announced it will host its prestigious annual travel academy in Killarney in April 2022. Pictured are: Nadine Lehmann (Tourism Ireland Manager Germany) Kevin Keogh (Der Touristik) Niall Gibbons (Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland) Dino Steinkamp (Der Touristik) Paul Kelly (Chief Executive of Fáilte Ireland) and Louise Finnegan (Tourism Ireland). Photo: Shane O'Neill Coalesce.

TRAVEL ACADEMY: Der Touristik a major German tour operator and the largest tour operator from Mainland Europe to the island of Ireland has announced it will host its prestigious annual travel academy in Killarney in April 2022. Pictured are: Nadine Lehmann (Tourism Ireland Manager Germany) Kevin Keogh (Der Touristik) Niall Gibbons (Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland) Dino Steinkamp (Der Touristik) Paul Kelly (Chief Executive of Fáilte Ireland) and Louise Finnegan (Tourism Ireland). Photo: Shane O'Neill Coalesce.
Killarney beat off challenges from a number of other top destinations to host the 2022 event. Germany’s largest tour operator, DERTOUR, will host the event in the INEC between April 3 to 6, 2022. The Academy is an educational and incentive event run by one of the largest tour operators in Mainland Europe.
This is the first overseas event by DER Touristik, Germany, since COVID-19 and is being supported by Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Limerick Travel.
The team from DER Touristik are in Killarney today (Tuesday) to meet with Irish tourism providers in both accommodation, activities and attractions to learn more of how they can become part of this event with the German operator in 2022.
While the DERTOUR gathering is taking place in Killarney next year, the 200 attendees will participate in pre-academy tours across Ireland, organised by Fáilte Ireland in conjunction with Limerick Travel. The tours present a valuable opportunity for the Irish tourism industry to sell itself to the German market and allows Fáilte Ireland to showcase the best that Ireland has to offer throughout the country.
Paul Keeley, Fáilte Ireland’s Director of Regional Development, believes events like these can provide a valuable opportunity to showcase all that Ireland has to offer to one of Ireland's most important mainland European markets.
“We are delighted to welcome DER Touristik to Killarney today ahead of hosting this important event next April," Mr Keeley said.
"For Irish tourism to recover and grow in the long term it is imperative that there is a strong message that Ireland offers a high-quality experience, diverse tourism experiences and a wide selection of safe accommodation choices. By winning the opportunity to host these influential agents and journalists next April we can continue to drive long term demand for Ireland and ensure that they can confidently encourage their customers to choose Ireland as a holiday destination when they return to Germany."
Kevin Keogh, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing for Der Touristik, added; “As the market leader for tourism from Germany to the island of Ireland for over 50 years, DER Touristik is delighted to bring its 200 top travel agents to Ireland for our 2022 Academy and to encourage them the discover the destination.”
Peter Brazil, Director, Limerick Travel, commented:
“We are delighted to bring Germany’s top tour operator Dertouristik to Killarney for Reise academy 2022! It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase our wonderful island to over 200 leading German agents and press. From previous experience academies have dramatically increased German visitors to Ireland in subsequent years.”
News
New bio-energy therapy clinic open on Beech Road
Have you ever wondered what happens when you deal with an emotionally charged situation or experience high levels of stress daily? Your mind sends alarm signals to your body which […]

Have you ever wondered what happens when you deal with an emotionally charged situation or experience high levels of stress daily?
Your mind sends alarm signals to your body which must adapt to this emergency mode.
Muscles tense up, heart beats faster, vessels get compressed, blood pressure rises, body retains water etc. Most of us subject our bodies to this emergency mode without being aware of it.
Irina Sharapova MH has just opened a new Herbal Medicine and Bio-Energy Therapy clinic at Horan’s Health Store on Beech Road by appointment each Friday.
Both Herbal Medicine and Bio-Energy Therapy, support the body’s natural ability to heal.
During a herbal consultation the therapist suggests necessary corrections to the client’s diet and lifestyle aiming at reducing the elements that contribute to inflammation, stiffness and pain, and increasing the elements that aid healing.
Then they prepare herbal remedies specific to the client. Client’s medications are also examined to ensure that there are no conflicts with the herbal treatment.
Herbs support healing by relaxing the body and improving sleep; they are used to treat various ailments from digestive and reproductive issues to insomnia and migraines.
Bio-Energy therapy is a complementary non-contact treatment that helps to release tension from the body caused by injuries, traumas or stress.
During a Bio-Energy session the therapist scans the client’s body for signals that indicate that the energy is not flowing smoothly – these are the areas that have reacted to the Client’s emotions of fear, worry, hurt, anger, sadness etc.
The therapist “clears out” these areas until the energy flow feels smooth. Bio-Energy is helpful in the treatment of physical and emotional pain and other ailments.
It is suitable for people who do not like massages and other treatments that are performed directly on the body.
Disclaimer: Alternative therapies are not substitutes for medical advice.
For further information or to schedule an appointment please contact Irina at 086 9878941 or via email at herbsandtherapy@gmail.com. Website: https://www.herbsandtherapies.ie
News
Spotted an otter lately?
Users of Killarney National Park are being asked to keep an eye out for otters – one of the country’s rarest mammals. The National Parks and Wildlife Service IS launching […]
Users of Killarney National Park are being asked to keep an eye out for otters – one of the country’s rarest mammals.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service IS launching a new National Otter Survey and has teamed up with researchers in Queen’s University Belfast and the National Biodiversity Data Centre to collect and collate otter records from right across the country.
The new survey will map otters and compare results to the last survey, carried out in 2010-11.
NPWS teams will be looking for characteristic signs of otters at over 900 sites throughout the country, including rivers, lakes and the coast.
Members of the public are asked to keep their eyes peeled for otters and to get involved in this national survey by adding their sightings to the survey results.
Otters are mostly active at night and most typically seen at dawn or dusk. They may be spotted from bridges swimming in rivers or along the rocky seashore.
Otters are brown, about 80 cm (30 inches) long and can be seen gliding along the water surface before diving to show their distinctive long pointed tail which is almost as long again as their body.
Dr Ferdia Marnell, Mammal Specialist with the NPWS, said:
“The otter is one of Ireland’s most elusive animals so getting as many people involved in the survey as possible will be important if we are to get good coverage. Otters are rarely seen, so instead, over the coming months, NPWS staff will be searching for otter tracks and signs.”
Dr Ferdia Marnell, Mammal Specialist with the NPWS, said:
“Otters have large, webbed feet and leave distinctive footprints, but these can be hard to find. Fortunately, otters mark their territory using droppings known as spraints. Otters deposit spraints conspicuously on boulders along riverbanks, logs on lake shores or the rocky high tide line. Spraints can be up to 10 cm or 3 inches long, black through to white but commonly brown, tarry to powdery in consistency and straight or curved making them tricky to identify. Luckily, they commonly contain fish bones and crayfish shells which are the otters favoured diet making them easy to tell apart from the droppings of birds and other mammals.”
The otter and its habitat are protected under the EU Habitats Directive which requires that Ireland reports on the status of the species every six years. The next report is due in 2025.
The otter suffered significant declines across much of continental Europe during the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s but remained widespread in Ireland. The most recent Irish survey (2010-2011) found signs of otter from all counties of Ireland and from sea-shore to mountain streams.
The otter hunts in water, but spends much of its time on land, and as a result is vulnerable to river corridor management such as culverting, dredging and the clearance of bankside vegetation, as well as pollution, pesticides, oil spillages, coastal developments and road traffic.