Donegal Tourism was celebrating after three Merit Awards were presented to hotel and tourist attraction operators in the county by CIE Tours International.
The CIE Tours International Annual Awards for Excellence, which are now in their 30th year, recognise the best hotels and tourist attractions across Ireland based on feedback from over 25,000 customers throughout the year.
Each winner achieved a customer satisfaction rating of over 92% from CIE Tours International visitors with Gold Award Winners achieving the highest satisfaction ratings in their categories.
Donegal Castle, Glenveagh Castle & National Park and Slieve League Cliffs each received a Merit Award of Excellence for delivering an exceptional quality experience and welcome to tourists.
The honours were presented by Fiona Ross, Chairman and Elizabeth Crabill, Chief Executive Officer, CIE Tours International.
In total 84 hotels and tourist attractions from across the island of Ireland won awards, with 13 overall category winners being awarded a Gold Award.
CIE Tours International, a member of the CIE Group, is one of Ireland’s longest established speciality tour operators, celebrating 88 years in business this year. It is the largest specialist tour operator bringing visitors from North America to Ireland, booking over 350,000 bed nights during the year.
Speaking at the presentation of CIE Tours International Annual Awards of Excellence Elizabeth Crabill said 30 years ago CIE Tours International introduced its annual Awards of Excellence to recognise Ireland’s hospitality ambassadors.
“The people and businesses throughout the country who put Irish tourism on the global stage through the warmth of welcome and quality of service provided to our international visitors.
“Since then Ireland’s tourism sector has changed utterly and grown in reputation but the demand for excellent experiences remains constant.
“Ireland remains an attractive tourism destination for visitors from North America drawn by the diversity and richness of the experiences offered and the warmth of the traditional Irish welcome which should not be underestimated.
“The Irish holiday experience is unique and continues to grow in popularity, so much so that we’re launching new winter tour holidays to Ireland for the first time in 2020.
“This growth is driven in no small part by our Tour partners, many of whom we are recognising tonight, who are continuously improving their offering.
“I warmly congratulate tonight’s winners from Donegal on their achievements and I thank all our partners who work closely with us throughout the year,” she said.
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