Published on : Monday, June 4, 2018
The special anniversary event, hosted by Tourism NI in alliance with Diageo NI, was organized at the Europa Hotel in Belfast, where the inaugural awards first happened back in 1978.
Previous BBC newsreader and Belfast native Maxine Mawhinney presented the black-tie event which is at present considered as the highlight of the tourism calendar.
Titanic Belfast published the news story of the Best International Experience Award following its crowning as the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction.
Crumlin Road Gaol won in the NI Tourism Heritage Property of the Year Category. The visitor centre, which was opened for the second time after experiencing a broad refurbishment in 2012, currently provides an increased offering for community, education and business purpose, at the same time also being a major tourist attraction.
Chris Wilson from East Belfast’s Streamvale Open Farm occupied the top spot in the NI Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Category. Situated in Dundonald, Streamvale Open Farm is much more than a farm, offering children with the chance to witness a range of animals in ‘Pets’ Corner’, bottle feed goats and lambs as well as holding a range of festive events.
In the same category, the founder of Bespoke Belfast (a travel and leisure consultancy specialising in business tourism) Melita Williams was Highly Commended.