15/06/2011 00:00:00
Ireland has been voted the “destination with the highest client satisfaction” by an influential travel magazine.
TravelAge West is the leading travel trade publication in the western states of the US. Its annual WAVE awards recognise the most outstanding destinations, tour operators, travel agents, airlines and cruise companies.
Beating off the competition
Ireland saw off strong competition in the same category from destinations such as Britain, Spain, Italy and France. The gala awards ceremony took place in Beverly Hills, California, and was attended by hundreds of travel industry leaders.
The editors of TravelAge West select the nominees for each category. The voting is then opened to the magazine’s readers, who decide the winners of the WAVE awards.
Delivering exceptional experiences
Joe Byrne, Tourism Ireland’s executive vice president United States and Canada, says: “We are delighted that Ireland has been singled out for this award by TravelAge West. Tourism Ireland works closely with travel agents and tour operators across the US to encourage them to sell more Ireland holidays and to feature more of our tourism products in their brochures and programmes. It is wonderful for us to know that Ireland has delivered exceptional experiences to their clients.
Satisfied customers
“We know from the 2010 Fáilte Ireland Visitor Attitude Survey that satisfaction with Ireland was its highest for many years and that the highest satisfaction rating was from North American visitors, 90% of whom would recommend Ireland for a holiday.”
He adds that Irish Central Statistics Office figures for the first quarter of 2011 show growth of almost 12% in visitors from North America. This, he says, is “an encouraging basis on which we will build”.