Tourism NI CEO has been on his travels again. John McGrillen has taken a tour of Armagh to meet with tourism and hospitality businesses in the area and hear their thoughts on how the sector has been performing this year.
The visits gave Mr McGrillen a chance to meet face-to-face with members of the trade and bring them up to speed on the support currently on offer from Tourism NI to help businesses recruit and retain staff, reduce costs, improve their competitiveness and become more sustainable.
Mr McGrillen began his visit at the Tayto Group in Tandragee where he met CEO, Fergal McCann and Elly Hunter, Marketing Director, before undertaking a tour.
He then travelled into Armagh City Centre where he enjoyed a walking tour with Donna Fox Tours.
During this, Mr McGrillen explored some of the 18th and 19th century buildings renovated during the successful Townscape Heritage Scheme.
He then visited Armagh Robinson Library, where he met the Very Rev Shane Forster, the Library Keeper and Carol Conlin, Assistant Keeper, for a chat about the library and a tour.
The classical library was founded in 1771 by Archbishop Richard Robinson who wanted to share his own collection of books and fine art with the general public.
During the final stop, Mr McGrillen visited Long Meadow Cider in Portadown, where he met owner, Catherine McKeever who gave him a guided tour of the business.
Speaking following the visit, Mr McGrillen said: “We have a wonderful tourism offering here in Armagh.
“The rich and diverse range of great accommodation, tour guides, restaurants, attractions and experiences on offer is the reason why Northern Ireland continues to attract record numbers of visitors.
“The tourism industry is critical to the future success of the local economy, and it is important that we support them as best we can.”
Mr McGrillen added: “It was really uplifting to meet so many passionate businesses, to listen to any concerns and try to navigate how we overcome them and continue to best support this important industry.
“They are all working extremely hard to give visitors a warm welcome and their efforts are to be applauded.”