Travel WEALTH August 7, 2026 0 Comments

Meet the Game-Changers: 40 Irish Tourism Mavericks Under 40 Revolutionizing the Industry from Within

Ever wonder who’s shaping the future of Irish tourism before they even hit their thirties? Business Plus and the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) have crunched the numbers and sifted through the talent to spotlight 40 dynamite young pros lighting up the tourism scene with fresh ideas, unstoppable drive, and bold innovation. These aren’t your average young guns—they’re the movers and shakers who are rewriting the playbook on how Ireland welcomes the world. And here’s the kicker: from this elite crowd, five finalists will step into the spotlight at the ITIC Annual Conference on October 1st, battling it out live as Business Plus crowns the ultimate game-changer. If you think tourism is all about pretty postcards and charming pubs, think again—these game-changers are proving it’s a multi-layered powerhouse of strategy, customer experience, and good old grit. Ready to meet the future titans of Irish tourism? Let’s dive in.

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Business Plus and the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) have selected 40 brilliant young minds in the tourism industry as part of the 40 Under 40 series. Five finalists will be selected to attend the ITIC Annual Conference in the Convention Centre on October 1st, where Business Plus will announce the winner live on stage

Roberto Aguiar – general manager, City Sightseeing Dublin

At just 29 years of age, Roberto Aguiar is the general manager of City Sightseeing Dublin, while also overseeing the Gravedigger Ghost Bus Tour and Sightseeing Bike Tours.

Having stepped into the role just over a year ago, Aguiar has quickly adapted to the demands of managing three well-known tourism brands, demonstrating maturity, dedication and a strong commitment to delivering excellent visitor experiences.

Working across a diverse range of operations, Aguiar supports the day-to-day running of each business, ensuring high standards of customer service while working closely with colleagues across marketing, sales and operations.

Roberto Aguiar, general manager at City Sightseeing Dublin

His hands-on approach has helped him contribute to the continued success of the businesses under his management.

Although still early in his leadership career, Aguiar has shown a genuine passion for the tourism industry and a willingness to embrace new challenges.

Looking ahead, Aguiar hopes to continue growing the businesses under his leadership by embracing innovation, enhancing operational excellence and ensuring Dublin remains a must-visit destination for travellers from around the world.

As his career progresses, Aguiar aspires to play an increasingly influential role within the industry, helping to shape the industry, mentor future tourism professionals and promote Ireland’s reputation for world-class hospitality.

Paul Caffrey – head of marketing, EI Travel Group

At just 32 years of age, Paul Caffrey is the head of marketing at EI Travel Group, one of Ireland’s leading destination management companies.

Caffrey is responsible for the marketing strategy of EI Travel Group and its portfolio of tourism brands, including Irish Whiskey Museum, Irish Day Tours, City Sightseeing Dublin, Sightseeing Bike Tours, Gravedigger Ghost Bus Tour and World of Illusion.

They oversee a marketing budget of more than €1m while leading a team of four marketing professionals.

Since joining the company three years ago, Caffrey has been instrumental in driving commercial growth through innovative marketing, digital transformation and brand development.

Beyond leading the marketing team, they work closely with managers across every business, supporting not only marketing strategy but also digital operations and business initiatives that contribute to the continued success of each attraction and tour.

Paul Caffrey, head of marketing for EI Travel Group.

One of their most significant achievements has been leading the complete marketing development of World of Illusion.

Joining the project while it was still in its development phase, they created and executed the marketing strategy from concept through to launch, establishing the attraction’s brand identity, digital presence and go-to-market campaigns.

Thanks to these efforts, World of Illusion became one of Ireland’s standout new attractions, ranking among the top four visitor attractions in Ireland during its first year of operation.

Their passion for developing Ireland’s tourism offering also extends to future projects. They have contributed to the early marketing and digital development of OceanÉire, an ambitious proposed oceanarium, supporting both its website development and communications strategy as the project continues to evolve.

Regularly representing EI Travel Group at industry events, Caffrey attends Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and AVEA trade shows and has been invited to speak on behalf of the company, sharing insights on tourism marketing and visitor engagement with industry peers.

Jessie Glynn – global events & initiatives manager, Tourism Ireland

Jessie Glynn’s passion for destination storytelling and highlighting the connection between people and place was sparked during a stint working for Glendalough Distillery.

Joining Tourism Ireland was the fulfilment of a long-held ambition, combining her communications expertise with her pride in Ireland, to inspire potential international visitors to choose Ireland as their next destination.

Glynn joined Tourism Ireland in 2024 as brand and content executive, supporting the roll-out of global campaigns for St Patrick’s Day and Halloween.

Last year, she was promoted to Global Events & Initiatives Manager. In this role, she worked with Fáilte Ireland and Tourism NI to create a unified ‘Ireland, Home of Halloween’ brand positioning.

She led Tourism Ireland’s international campaign, showcasing Ireland as the birthplace of Halloween.

The campaign generated more than €50m in incremental visitor bookings, demonstrating the commercial viability of Halloween as a hook to win hearts, minds and trips to Ireland in autumn.

Jessie Glynn, global events & initiatives manager at Tourism Ireland

Following the campaign, audiences were twice as likely to know Halloween originated in Ireland, with seven in 10 more likely to want to visit.

The campaign was awarded Gold, as best travel campaign across Europe, Middle East and Africa, at The Drum Awards for Marketing.

Glynn also led the development and roll-out of Ireland Unrushed in 2025, Tourism Ireland’s Slow Tourism movement. Recognising growing interest in more meaningful travel experiences, she transformed a global trend into a distinctive proposition for Ireland.

Built around the insight that ‘slow’ in Ireland means feeling more rather than doing less, the campaign encouraged visitors to engage more deeply with local communities, culture and landscapes while supporting regional and responsible travel.

Over two years, Ireland Unrushed has been seen over 200 million times around the world and has garnered significant international media coverage.

Known for her adaptability, strong work ethic and collaborative approach, Glynn combines deep consumer insight with commercial thinking to create campaigns that resonate with audiences, engage industry partners and deliver measurable results.

Her ability to identify emerging travel trends and transform them into distinctive opportunities for Ireland marks her out as a rising leader in the tourism sector.

Hector Martinez – group finance director, EPIC

Hector Martínez is EPIC’s group finance director and an ACA-qualified chartered accountant.

Originally from Mexico, he moved to Ireland to continue his education and build his career.

After gaining experience in Deloitte, he joined EPIC in 2019 as group accountant and has since progressed into a senior leadership role, helping guide the financial strategy of one of Ireland’s leading tourism and cultural organisations.

For Martinez, finance is about much more than numbers. He enjoys helping people understand the story behind the figures and using that insight to make better decisions.

Hector Martinez, group finance director at EPIC.

Over the past few years, he has focused on strengthening the finance function to support the group’s future growth, introducing new technologies, automation and improved reporting while encouraging a more commercial and forward-looking approach across the organisation.

Martinez is known for his approachable and collaborative leadership style. He believes strong teams are built through trust, open communication and a willingness to support one another.

He is passionate about developing people and has worked hard to position the finance team as a valued business partner across the wider organisation.

Looking ahead, Martinez is excited by the opportunity to continue developing both the finance function and the people within it.

He is motivated by continuous learning, embracing new challenges and supporting the ongoing growth of EPIC and CHQ as important contributors to Dublin’s tourism and cultural lan

Ruthie McGrath – director of sales, The Merrion Hotel

Ruthie McGrath, a Dublin native, is the director of sales at The Merrion Hotel⁠, one of the capital’s finest five-star luxury hotels and a member of Leading Hotels of the World.

In this role, which she has held for over 10 years, McGrath assists with developing and executing the hotel’s commercial strategy to maximise revenue while maintaining its premium brand positioning.

The role involves building and managing relationships with key corporate clients, luxury travel advisors, event planners, and international travel partners to attract high-value business across the leisure, corporate, groups and events markets.

Working closely with the general manager, brand director, revenue manager and operations teams, McGrath helps identify new business opportunities, negotiates contracts, oversees a team of 11, and monitors key performance indicators such as occupancy, average daily rate (ADR), and revenue growth.

McGrath also represents the hotel at many global industry events, while working closely with Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland to support tourism to the country, strengthen the hotel’s reputation and expand its market presence.

Ruthie McGrath, director of sales at The Merrion Hotel.

She is focused on achieving commercial targets but also on preserving the hotel’s reputation for exceptional service and guest experience.

Before joining The Merrion, McGrath built international luxury hospitality experience at The Waldorf Astoria New York, where she held several managerial positions. Earlier in her career, she progressed from operational roles in hotels located in Boston and Paris.

McGrath is a proud graduate of Shannon College of Hotel Management, where she earned a Bachelor of Business Studies in International Hotel Management.

She also holds a Certificate in Business Studies with Event Management and most recently completed a Certificate program with Cornell University (via eCornell) within their Sales and Marketing Academy.

At The Merrion, McGrath is part of the senior leadership team whose passion for the tourism industry is widely recognised. She is committed to ensuring Ireland is positioned as a leading destination on the global stage.

McGrath takes immense pride in her work at The Merrion and is hugely proud of what the team at the hotel have achieved, including recent accolades: Travel & Leisure’s World’s Best Awards No. 1 hotel in Dublin, Condé Nast Traveller’s inaugural Triple Crown and retaining TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice No. 1 hotel in Dublin.