Pictured with the award are Elaine McShane, Marc Casey, Ian Baillie, Tony Molloy and Lorna McGivern.
LEADING ferry company Stena Line is celebrating after winning top ferry company for a record-breaking 22nd time at the annual Northern Ireland Travel and Tourism Awards.
The ‘Best Ferry Company’ award was presented at a glittering awards ceremony on Friday (October 17) at the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa in Newcastle.
Paul Grant, Stena Line’s Route Manager (Irish Sea North) was delighted to be picking up the award for the 22nd time, Paul said: “The ferry sector in Northern Ireland is extremely competitive so winning the top accolade is always a special achievement, especially when the award and recognition comes from the travel industry.
“However, to win ‘Best Ferry Company’ 22 times in the 23 year history of the awards is a great feeling and testament to our total commitment to quality ferry travel and customer service on all of our routes.”
Paul continued: “We have been winning this award since the early 1990s and although ferry travel has changed significantly during that time it is rewarding to know that we have the ability to continually change and adapt our business to constantly provide ‘best in class’ service to the hundreds of thousands of people who travel with us every year.
“We are passionate about delivering service excellence across the whole of our business, whether that’s face to face communication with a customer or a query at our call centre, the degree of professionalism, passion and commitment is always the same.”
Northern Ireland Travel News has been organising the awards for the past 23 years and this year’s ceremony was hosted by TV and Radio personality Gerry Kelly with more than 450 VIPs from the local travel and tourism industry attending.
Paul concluded: “This significant accomplishment is also due to the diligence of a great sales and marketing team whose collective efforts are taking Stena Line to new levels of achievement that make us the envy of every other operator on the Irish Sea.
“2014 has been another busy year for Stena Line and through our continuing work with our colleagues in the travel trade industry we are looking forward to an even more successful 2015.”
Stena Line is the market leader on the Irish Sea, offering the biggest fleet and the widest choice of routes from Ireland to Britain, including Belfast to Cairnryan, Belfast to Liverpool, Belfast to Heysham, Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead, Dublin Port to Holyhead and Rosslare to Fishguard.
The company carries approximately three million passengers on its Irish Sea routes each year, more than its rival ferry operators combined.
