T

The renowned five-star Aghadoe Heights Hotel and Spa in Killarney is the first hotel in Kerry to achieve China Ready accreditation, awarded by the Chinese Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI). This guarantees a very special Kerry welcome to our Chinese visitors and guests.

With the introduction of 1,700 airline seats per week, flying directly to Dublin from Beijing and Hong Kong, Irish hotels need to be prepared for a large increase in leisure business from this region.

“Understanding our Chinese guests cultural needs is absolutely pivotal to their overall experience of Ireland,” said General Manger, Niall Coffey.

Colleagues at the Aghadoe Heights Hotel and Spa completed specialist training modules that covered areas such as Chinese tourist profiles, communication and language, sales and marketing, product and service needs as well as information on the background of Chinese tourists coming to Ireland. A written test forms part of the individual certification process, which allows the team to enhance their products and services to ensure that they meet the specific needs of the Chinese guest in all areas of hospitality.

Dr Tony Lenehan, Executive Director of COTRI in Ireland, attended a small gathering to celebrate this achievement and to personally award each team member with their certificate. Alongside him were IHF Kerry Branch Chairperson, Niamh O’Shea and Marie Healy from Fáilte Ireland.

During the presentation, General Manager Niall Coffey thanked his team for their continued efforts to develop the hotel’s standards and offering. “The team at the Aghadoe have worked so hard to achieve this special accreditation. We are proud to become the first hotel in Kerry to be ready to provide a special Irish Welcome to our Chinese guests.

“This also coincides perfectly with the EU-China Year of Tourism 2018 initiative, for which we are delighted to offer our support. Recent data released by Fáilte Ireland has shown us how important the Chinese tourism market has become and the potential for growth is significant.”

COTRI is the world's leading Independent Research Institute for training, quality assessment, research and consulting on the Chinese outbound tourism market. The Chinese Tourist Welcome accreditation is the international certified travel service standard and platform recognised by the European Travel Commission and endorsed by the World Tourism and Travel Council.