Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Tourism Development Officer, Mary Blake, crowed a Tourism Hero a the prestigious Northern Ireland Tourism Awards held in St Columb’s Hall in the city last night.
Local restaurant, the Walled City Brewery, also won a top award, walking away with the title of Most Promising New Tourism Business.
The city’s Banks of the Foyle Hallowe’en Carnival just missed out on the top gong in the Best Festival or Event Category, with the Circuit of Ireland Rally scooping the honour.
The popular event, run by Derry City and Strabane District Council which attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the city every year, received a commendation in the Best Marketing Initiative category, which was won by the Monster Manor Event, W5.
However, highlight of the night was the presentation of a Local Tourism Hero award to Mary Blake for her contribution to tourism locally and in particular her role in promoting the Year of Food.
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District, Councillor Elisha McCallion, paid tribute to Mary saying she was a very worthy recipient of the special award and she was delighted her energy and enthusiasm was acknowledged.
“Huge congratulations to Mary on winning this award, what a fantastic tribute to you. It is well deserved and I am delighted your commitment to promote our tourism offering has been formally recognised. I would also like to extend my congratulations to the Walled City Brewery who are fast making a name for themselves in the hospitality sector, and who are great ambassadors for local food tourism.”
The Mayor added she was delighted the prestigious event was held in Derry for the first time and paid tribute to everyone involved.
“It was great to see Derry hosting the awards and St Columb’s Hall was a fantastic venue for the gala dinner that was attended by leading figures in the local tourism industry. I was also delighted to see local singer songwriter Bronagh Gallagher performing at the event. It was fantastic to see the awards come to Derry this year, providing a great opportunity to showcase the North West to some of the leading figures in local tourism.”
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