February 01, 2016 – CIE Tours International staged their 26th annual Awards of Excellence at Dublin Castle, where 98 winners from across Ireland were presented plaques and given well deserved recognition.
CIE Tours brought 44,000 visitors to Ireland during the past year and generated revenues of €83 million. The prestigious awards were presented last night by CIE Chairman, Vivienne Jupp.
The category winners from around the country were chosen according to customer feedback. CIE Tours International customers were most impressed by the Slieve League Cliffs in Co. Donegal. Other attractions that highly impressed were the Cliffs of Moher, which had the most visitors, Blarney Castle, Blarney Woollen Mills, and the Skellig Experience, now featured in the new “Star Wars” movie, the Titanic Belfast, Waterford Crystal Factory, Trinity College’s Book of Kells and the Giant’s Causeway.
The Managing Director of CIE Tours International, Brian Stack, told the gathering: “Last year was another strong year when our 44,000 customers booked in the region of 350,000 bed nights. They made a major contribution to Ireland’s record year for tourism when eight million tourists visited our country.”
“We are pleased to say that bookings for 2016 have been going well and we are looking forward to exceeding 2015 levels of business despite external matters such as global terrorism threats and market fluctuations. The feedback which we have received from over 28,000 customers surveyed was very positive and from these our Awards of Excellence were chosen in this, the 26th year of the Awards.”
“The response from our hotels and visitor attractions to the feedback we gave them has also been extremely well received-and acted upon. However, our wish list for 2016 would include the resumption of training and accreditation for tour guides and for development of urgently required hotels for the main tourism hubs, in particular Dublin,” said Mr Stack.
The winners of the Awards of Excellence are chosen from an independent valuation of feedback surveys completed by over 28,000 CIE Tours International customers. The list includes both category winners as well as those who have received a merit award, which is awarded to those who have achieved over 90% in customer feedback.
Increased capacity in terms of accessing Ireland was a vital component in increasing visitor’s numbers. This additional capacity has helped CIE Tours to grow their customers from other markets outside of their core market, such as Canada and Australia.
Best 3 Star Hotel Benners Hotel, Dingle
Best Hotel Accommodation Dromoland Castle, Co. Clare
Best Hotel Dinner Fitzpatrick’s Castle Hotel, Killiney
Best Hotel Service & Hospitality Kee’s Hotel, Co. Donegal
Best Event Dinner/Entertainment An evening of Food, Folklore and Fairies, Brazen Head, Dublin
Best Dinner Feature Killeen House Hotel, Killarney
Best Tour Feature Glen Keen farm, Co. Mayo
Best Walking Tour Don & Barry’s Kinsale Historic Stroll
Best Visit Slieve League Cliffs, Co. Donegal
Best Lunch Davitt’s, Kenmare
National Heritage Award Giant’s Causeway, Co. Antrim
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About CIE Tours International
For the past 84 years, CIE Tours International has provided travellers with the highest quality holiday experience to Ireland Scotland, England and Wales. CIE has held their reputation in the travel industry by providing customers with value, security, reliability, and of course satisfaction. Tour directors give passengers the opportunity to learn not only the culture and history of the destinations they are visiting, but also to experience the delights of local food, comfortable transportation, and other amenities to guarantee a first class holiday. CIE Tours sells an Irish Self-Drive Holiday to enable customers to mix and match to create their perfect holiday to Ireland. CIE Tours also formed a new specialty Chauffeur Program designed for people looking for an independent luxury experience to Ireland and Britain.
What makes CIE Tours unique in comparison to other tour companies is how truly they listen to their customers and use their feedback and suggestions to update itineraries as well as improve their selection of tours every year. With the continuous support from travel partners, CIE Tours has been able to increase their collection with 7 new escorted tours for 2016. All CIE Tours travel programs are protected by the company’s €400+ Advantage, a no-fee benefit guaranteeing that travellers are never charged for special features considered optional extras with other tour companies. This benefit saves couples an average of €400 per week.