Six Galway tourism businesses have been recognised at the CIÉ Tours Annual Awards of Excellence.
CIÉ Tours, the largest carrier of US visitors to Ireland every year, recently held its annual awards of excellence, celebrating Irish hoteliers and tourist experience operators who have been singled out by the 30,000 visitors who came to Ireland with CIÉ Tours in 2025.
The Galmont Hotel & Spa and the Galway Bay Hotel were both awarded Merits in the Hotel category.
Kylemore Abbey, Dún Aonghasa, Corrib Princess Cruise and Killary Harbour Cruise received Merits in the Visitor Experience category.
Seán Canney, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, acknowledged the commitment of tour operators across Ireland and paid tribute to the award recipients. “These awards are a testament to the high standards of quality that each operator holds and is a well-deserved recognition of their work in welcoming CIÉ Tours visitors to Ireland, providing them with unique and unrivalled experiences”.
“Tourism is a vital part of the Irish economy, impacting every town and village across the country and is a key source of employment for people in many rural communities," Minister Canney said. "The Government recognises the importance of the sector and recently launched a National Tourism Policy Statement which sets out a clear ambition to enhance tourism’s economic contribution, support regional development, and ensure the industry remains inclusive, sustainable, and adaptable to future challenges. This is supported by the provision of €233 million in Budget 2026 for the Tourism Services programme which aims to drive regional development and employment in the sector.”
According to Stephen Cotter, managing director of CIÉ Tours, 2025 was another landmark year for the company, which booked more than 250,000 bed nights throughout Ireland. "That we can offer a unique experience unrivalled by any other country is due in no small part to our many partners who work closely with us, taking the feedback from our visitors and continuously refining their offering,” he added
“Our support for tourism destinations is bringing vital revenue to towns and villages across the country.
“We are continuously developing our offering, developing new and sustainable tours that will allow our visitors to experience the very best that Ireland has to offer.”
CIÉ Tours is the leading inbound tour operator for North American visitors to Ireland for more than 90 years and in that time has brought over three million visitors from North America to Ireland.
