Thirteen overall category winners from around the country were chosen according to customer feedback. A total of 94 winners including hotels, B&B's, entertainment venues and tourist destinations ranging from Best 5 Star Hotel Award to Best Hotel Service Award. In addition a Hall of Fame Award was presented to Liam Murray, Blarney Co. Cork who has provided guiding services for CIE Tours for fifteen years.

Lifetime/Outstanding Company Awards were presented to John Lovell, CEO, of Vacation.com, CIE Tours largest customer in the United States and John Madden, Travelworld, Pennsylvania, the largest group producer.

Mr. Brian Stack, Managing Director of CIE Tours International said: “Since 1932, CIE Tours has brought in excess of three million visitors to Ireland. 2014 was another successful year with revenues up almost 10% on 2013 levels. We booked in the region of 400,000 bed nights across Ireland and our success is due to the excellent service provided by hundreds of service providers around the country. However I am concerned that recent significant increases in hotel rates could make Ireland uncompetitive as a tourist destination. A strong control on costs is critical if Ireland is to compete internationally as an attractive destination for holidays.  The 2015 season is proving to be challenging with external factors such as the Ebola virus and international terrorist activities affecting our business. On the plus side, we are making good inroads in Australia where our business is up significantly in the last twelve months”

“A major strength is our size which enables us to negotiate excellent value for money packages particularly since our customers like the security of our all-inclusive prices combined with the quality of the experience they get. With the largest range of tour programmes for those wishing to visit Ireland, we can bring tourists to many areas and attractions not covered by other tour operators. This includes many rural communities particularly in the North and Northwest of the country.

“Based on the fact that the economy in our largest market, the United States is growing strongly, together with a substantial increase in the number of available passenger air seats to Ireland, we are optimistic that 2015 will be as good as 2014”

The winners of the Awards of Excellence are chosen from an independent valuation of feedback surveys completed by over 30, 000 CIE Tours International customers. The list includes both category winners as well as those who have received a merit award which is made to those who have achieved over 90% in customer feedback.

About CIE Tours International

For the past 83 years, CIE Tours International has provided travelers with the highest quality tour experience.  We have held our reputation in the travel industry providing our customers with value, security, reliability, and of course satisfaction.  Our tour directors are focused to give our passengers the opportunity to learn not only the culture and history of the destinations they are visiting, but also to experience the delights of local food, comfortable transportations, and other amenities to guarantee a first class holiday. 

What makes CIE Tours better than other tour companies is we truly listen to our customers to understand exactly what they want.   We take our travelers feedback and suggestions very seriously and use it to update our itineraries as well as improve our selection of tours every year. With the continuous support from our Travel Partners, we were able to create 8 new unique tours that will begin in 2015, bringing us to a total of 52 tours.  All of our tours provide a variety of activities and exciting new attractions; bringing our travelers more options than ever before.  All CIE Tours travel programs are protected by the company's a A$550+ Advantage, a no-fee benefit guaranteeing that travelers are never charged for special features considered optional extras with other tour companies.

At CIE Tours International, we know what it takes to ensure a great holiday experience.  For additional information, please visit www.cietours.com.