NITB VOTED ‘BEST TOURIST BOARD’ BY IRISH MEDIA (@NITouristBoard )

THE Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) has beaten off stiff competition from around the world to be voted Best Tourist Board by media for the third consecutive year at the annual Blue Insurances Travel Media Awards in Dublin last night.

More than 170 guests and VIPS from the travel trade and media throughout Ireland gathered at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin for the awards which were created to acknowledge outstanding performance in the travel and tourism industry.

Now in their third year, the awards comprised 21 categories which were voted for by a wide cross section of media in the Republic of Ireland and independently audited by the Department of Tourism at Dublin Institute of Technology.

NITB Chief Executive Alan Clarke said: “The Best Tourist Board award is unique in that it is voted for by media who play such an important role in helping us to change the image and perceptions of Northern Ireland and make it a must-see destination.

“This award reflects the hard work of everyone at NITB and, of course, the excellent partnerships we have across Northern Ireland with government, private sector, local authorities and other tourism organizations. Together, we are positively changing attitudes and confidently putting our Northern Ireland on the global tourism map.”

Fiona Cunningham, NITB Market Manager (ROI), picked up the award at the glittering ceremony.

“We are very proud to be voted Best Tourist Board for the third consecutive year and it’s particularly gratifying that these awards are voted for by the Irish media as they play a vital role in informing listeners, viewers and readers of all the attractions and events taking place in Northern Ireland,” said Fiona.

“2012 was a fantastic year for Northern Ireland in which we saw holiday trips from the Republic of Ireland grow by a massive 70 per cent with total overnight trips from ROI increasing by 16 per cent to 430,000. This forward momentum has continued in 2013, another huge year for Northern Ireland which has seen Fermanagh welcome the world’s leaders at the G8 summit, Derry~Londonderry celebrate its status as the first UK City of Culture, and Belfast host the prestigious World Police and Fire Games.

“Next year is also set to be a momentous one with the world famous Giro d’Italia cycling race launching in Northern Ireland in May and golf’s Amateur Championship returning to Royal Portrush for the first time in 20 years.

“We are delighted that media throughout the Republic of Ireland are able to share these and many more experiences with us, and this award tells us that they like what they’ve seen so far and that they appreciate the work we’re doing,” she added.

Northern Ireland was well represented at the event overall with Hastings Hotels winning the Best International Hotel Group and Stena Line’s Diane Poole collecting the Best Ferry Company award on behalf of the Swedish shipping company.

The winners of the 2013 Blue Insurances Travel Media Awards are:

1. Best Short Haul Airline – Aer Lingus
2. Best Long Haul Airline – British Airways
3. Best International Airport (not in Rep of Ireland) – Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam
4. Best Cruise Company – MSC Cruises
5. Best Ferry Company – Stena Line
6. Best Canal or River Cruise Company – Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
7. Best Irish Hotel – Ashford Castle
8. Best International Hotel Group – Hastings Hotels
9. Best Tour Operator – Tour America
10. Best Online Travel Agent – lowcostholidays.ie
11. Best Tourist Board or CVB (Convention & Visitors Bureau) – Northern Ireland Tourist Board
12. Best Travel Agent – GoHop.ie
13. Best Travel Website (i.e. information resource) – TripAdvisor
14. Best use of Social Media by a travel company operating in the Irish market – Tour America
15. Best Ski Destination by Country – Austria
16. Best Summer Destination by Country – Spain
17. Best City or Short-Break Destination – London
18. Best Worldwide Holiday Destination by Country – U.S.A.
19. Best Travel Insurance Provider -Blue Insurances
20. Lifetime Achievement Award – Maureen Ledwith & Edmund Hourican
21. Innovator of the Year – Karl Tyrrell

We are delighted to have won Best Tourist Board for the 3rd year in a row @BlueInsurances Travel Media Awards last night #NITourism

— NI Tourist Board (@NITouristBoard) November 28, 2013