Ireland Tops US Tourism Satisfaction Ratings

Hundreds of travel industry leaders attended a gala awards ceremony in Beverly Hills, California last week, organized by TravelAge West magazine.

Ireland saw off competition from Britain, Spain, Italy and France in the same category scoring the highest satisfaction ratings from US travellers in Europe.

"We are delighted that Ireland has been singled out for this award by TravelAge West," said Joe Byrne, head of Tourism Ireland in North America, "We work 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 programs"

"It is wonderful for us to know that Ireland has delivered exceptional experiences to their clients.

"We know from the 2010 Failte 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 also said that there were positive indications that the numbers visiting Ireland this year will increase.

"CSO figures issued recently for the first quarter of 2011 show growth of almost +12% in visitors from North America, an encouraging basis on which we will build."

The WAVE awards are presented annually to recognize the most outstanding destinations, tour operators, travel agents, airlines and cruise companies.

They are organized by TravelAge West magazine, the leading travel trade publication in the western states of the US.

The editors of TravelAge West select the nominees for each category and subsequently open the voting to the magazine's readers who decide the winners of the WAVE Award.