Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Arlene Foster has congratulated multi-award winning company McComb’s Coach Travel in achieving five-star status under the Tourism Northern Ireland Quality Grading Scheme.
McComb’s Coach Travel based in Belfast is the first company in Northern Ireland to be awarded the star rating for its Game of Thrones Location Tour which visits the main filming sites along the Causeway Coastal Route, including the Dark Hedges, Ballintoy Harbour and Cushenden Caves.
Commenting on the achievement, Arlene Foster said: “McComb’s is a shining example of a local company demonstrating quality and innovation. Screen tourism is a growing market and I commend the owners Rodney and Caroline for achieving the five-star status by creating exciting and engaging tourism experiences built around the now famous locations used in the Game of Thrones series.
“This accolade gives the company a great marketing tool in helping to attract more visitors to Northern Ireland. The tour offers not only an opportunity for Game of Thrones enthusiasts to get up close to where the series in filmed but also has a wider appeal to those who simply wish to take in the rugged scenic beauty of the North Coast.”
Caroline Adams, Tourism Northern Ireland Quality and Standards Manager said: “The grading scheme is designed to provide visitors with information on the quality of the experience they can expect at Northern Ireland’s tourist attractions, whilst assisting operators to maintain and continue to improve the quality of their offering. McComb’s five-star rating indicates that the tour provides excellent quality levels of customer service and exceptional standards of management efficiency.”
McComb’s coach company has been operational for 19 years, bringing around 60,000 passengers from Belfast to the Causeway Coast each year.
Commenting on the commendation owner Rodney McComb said: “We are thrilled to have a visit from the Minister and equally pleased that our company has been graded as the first five-star tour in Northern Ireland to be recognised for our Game of Thrones excursion. We believe our potential customers will see and appreciate this quality mark and that it will help sway their decision to discover more of Northern Ireland by coach.”