US tourists give Glendalough Visitor Centre thumbs up with CIE Tours merit award

THE CIE Tours annual Awards of Excellence returned after a two year hiatus due to Covid, with the Glendalough Visitors Centre receiving a merit award in the visitor attraction category.

aunched in 1990, the awards 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 international visitors. CIE Tours, which has been in business for 91 years, is the largest operator of guided tours to Ireland in the North American market, bringing over 25,000 visitors here last year.

Glendalough Visitors Centre was a Visitor Attraction Merit winner in the Leinster region. The centre provides an overview of the history of Glendalough and is a great place to pop in and ask about the different walks around the monastic city and lakes.

Merit Awards are presented to hotels and visitor attractions who achieved a customer satisfaction rating of 92 per cent or higher from CIE Tours visitors to Ireland in 2022.

Speaking at the presentation of CIE Tours Annual Awards of Excellence Elizabeth Crabill, CEO said: “The Irish holiday experience is unique, and its popularity is very evident in the strong rebound we witnessed once international travel re-opened following the pandemic. I want to acknowledge the resilience of our tourism partners who, having had a very difficult few years, enthusiastically welcomed back our visitors once restrictions were lifted.

“Your professionalism is reflected in the feedback from our visitors and in these Awards this evening. Overall satisfaction levels in 2022 were only slightly less than 2019 despite a very challenging year for travel.

“We are very encouraged by the pipeline of bookings for the coming year, which are ahead of expectations, and we look forward to ensuring that our partners and our host communities continue to benefit from our success in attracting visitors to travel with us to Ireland.”