Glenarm Visitor Attraction awarded four stars by Tourism NI for its '˜excellent visitor experience'

Welcoming around 5,000 visitors per year, the Glenarm Visitor Centre has been advising visitors on things to see and do in the Glens of Antrim and the Causeway Coast area for over a decade now.In recognition of this dedication, Tourism Northern Ireland has now awarded the Glenarm Visitor Information Point Activity Tours four stars under its visitor attraction grading scheme.
By The Newsroom
Published 9th Nov 2016, 15:23 BST
Updated 16th Nov 2016, 16:40 BST
Samantha Corr, Tourism NI presents the Glenarm Visitor Information Point Activity Tours staff with the four star grading award (Picture by Darren Kidd / Press Eye).Samantha Corr, Tourism NI presents the Glenarm Visitor Information Point Activity Tours staff with the four star grading award (Picture by Darren Kidd / Press Eye).
Samantha Corr, Tourism NI presents the Glenarm Visitor Information Point Activity Tours staff with the four star grading award (Picture by Darren Kidd / Press Eye).

The centre’s activity tours cater for a range of interest groups and achieved a four-star award on its first Quality Grading Assessment, indicating the tour is an ‘excellent visitor experience’.

Caroline Adams, Quality and Standards Manager Tourism NI commented: “I congratulate the knowledgeable and dedicated team at the Glenarm Visitor Centre on their recent four-star award.

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“By joining the accreditation scheme they are helping to send a strong message to our visitors about the quality available within the Northern Ireland tourism offering.

“The collaboration and partnership approach between the Glenarm Visitor Information Centre and local industry has resulted in quality visitor experiences, such as the guided rambles, village tours taking in Glenarm Castle and escorted visits to the Knockdhu Souterrain. These are of international appeal and are easily accessible to visitors.”

Maureen McAuley Tourism Manager agreed, praising those who work at the centre: “We are very pleased that Tourism NI has awarded a four-star grading to Glenarm Visitor Centre Tours. We attribute this remarkable achievement to the staff and volunteers who assist us in delivering a quality visitor experience in our information centre and in the tours and activities we arrange around historic Glenarm, the Antrim Hills and East Coast.”

The exciting news comes just after Glenarm was awarded WorldHost Village status earlier this year.

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This prestigious award is made to towns or villages where at least 25 per cent of businesses have achieved WorldHost Recognition by delivering excellent customer service and which have trained 50 per cent or more of their front-line staff using any of the WorldHost training programmes.

Overall nine local businesses in Glenarm, or 37.5 per cent of a total of 24 potential businesses, have received a WorldHost Business Recognition awards in Glenarm, comfortably exceeding the WorldHost requirements.

The award is in line with Tourism NI’s mission to build the value of tourism to the local economy through passionately championing the development and promotion of the Northern Ireland experience.

Tourism, a key driver of the global economy, is certainly on the rise within Northern Ireland. Last year saw 2.3 million out of state visitors (visitors from outside NI) and 2.2 million NI residents take an overnight trip in NI, with associated spend of just over three quarters of a billion pounds.

For more information on the Tourism NI Grading Scheme, go to tourismni.com.

Related topics:Causeway Coast