Two Athlone tourism businesses honoured at CIÉ Tours awards

Two Athlone tourism businesses were honoured at the CIÉ Tours Annual Awards of Excellence.

The Sheraton Hotel received a merit award in the Leinster Hotel category while Sean’s Bar was awarded a merit in the Leinster Visitor Experience category.

CIÉ Tours, the largest carrier of US visitors to Ireland every year, recently held its annual awards of excellence to celebrate Irish hoteliers and tourist experience operators who have been singled out by the 30,000 visitors who came to Ireland with CIÉ Tours in 2025.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport Seán Canney acknowledged the commitment of tour operators across Ireland and paid tribute to the award recipients. “These awards are a testament to the high standards of quality that each operator holds and is a well-deserved recognition of their work in welcoming CIÉ Tours visitors to Ireland, providing them with unique and unrivalled experiences”.

“Tourism is a vital part of the Irish economy, impacting every town and village across the country and is a key source of employment for people in many rural communities. The government recognises the importance of the sector and recently launched a National Tourism Policy Statement which sets out a clear ambition to enhance tourism’s economic contribution, support regional development, and ensure the industry remains inclusive, sustainable, and adaptable to future challenges. This is supported by the provision of €233 million in Budget 2026 for the Tourism Services programme which aims to drive regional development and employment in the sector”.

Aidan Murphy, Chairman, CIÉ Tours, said: “CIÉ Tours has been playing a leading role in promoting Ireland as a tourist destination for almost 95 years and continues to perform at a high level on the international stage which has had a significant impact on the Irish economy. As a market leader in the USA, one of the most competitive markets in the world, CIÉ Tours has helped to increase the number of U.S. visitors to Ireland, who contribute to 31% of visitor spend, which amounted to €1.87 billion in 2024.”

Stephen Cotter, Managing Director, CIÉ Tours, said; “2025 was another landmark year for CIÉ Tours, when we booked over 250,000 bed nights throughout Ireland.

“Our support for tourism destinations is bringing vital revenue to towns and villages across the country.”

CIÉ Tours is the leading inbound tour operator for North American visitors to Ireland for over 90 years and in that time has brought over 3 million visitors from North America to Ireland.