Giant's Causeway wins Gold National Heritage Award and Award of Excellence

This is the fourth ‘Award of Excellence’ for the team at Giant’s Causeway since the opening of the new Visitor Centre and the first time that they have received the ‘Gold National Heritage Award’ for their continued contribution to visitor enjoyment at the Giant’s Causeway.

Max Bryant, General Manager for the National Trust on the north coast said: “We are very proud that the Giant’s Causeway has once again received an Award of Excellence from CIE Tours International as well as the coveted Gold National Heritage Award. Last year we welcomed over 850,000 visitors from 176 countries worldwide and it is our aim to give them all a world class experience and sense of welcome that this part of the north coast is famous for.

“My team are all great ambassadors for the National Trust and Northern Ireland hospitality.”

The accolade was presented to the National Trust team at the 26th Annual Awards of Excellence in Dublin Castle by CIE Chairman Vivienne Jupp.

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.”

The awards by one of Ireland’s leading coach tour operators are designed to recognise and celebrate exceptional performance within the hospitality and tourism industry. Winners are chosen from an independent evaluation of questionnaires completed by over 40,000 CIE Tours International customers.

Other award winners included Belleek Pottery, Down Cathedral, Glenveagh National Park, the Causeway Coast Discovery Centre and Titanic Belfast.