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Experience

Category 5 - Best Event or Festival Experience – International

Entries are invited from NI international events and festivals (in private, voluntary or public sectors) who can demonstrate significant tourism impact including successfully attracting visitors to, and entertaining them in, Northern Ireland.

Entrants must demonstrate how they have met the following criteria:

  • Enhanced visitor experience.
  • Increase in visitor numbers and spend.
  • Development of a positive profile for NI.
  • Increased bed nights.
  • Extended the tourism season.

This category will be judged in Stage Two by Presentation.

Category 6 – Best Event or Festival Experience - National

Entries are invited from NI national events and festivals (in private, voluntary or public sectors). Judges will be looking for the most promising authentic events and festivals within this category.

Entrants much be able to demonstrate the following:

  • Enhance the visitor experience.
  • Generate economic benefits for Northern Ireland through increased visitor numbers and spend.
  • Enhance the appeal and profile of the area

This category will be judged in Stage Two by Presentation.

Category 7 - Best International Experience

Entries are invited from NI national events and festivals (in private, voluntary or public sectors). Judges will be looking for the most promising authentic events and festivals within this category.

Entrants much be able to demonstrate the following:

  • Enhance the visitor experience.
  • Generate economic benefits for Northern Ireland through increased visitor numbers and spend.
  • Enhance the appeal and profile of the area

This category will be judged in Stage Two by Presentation.

Category 8 - Best Food & Drink Experience

Entries are invited from tourism and hospitality business, including experience providers, which offer an authentic NI food and drink experience that is rooted in the local area.

The Best Food and Drink Experience should demonstrate:

  • How you have incorporated local food and drink with a focus on authenticity and a sense of place.
  • How you have encouraged regional spread and/or seasonal extension. 
  • If the experience was created or enhanced to support the Taste the Island initiative.   If so, please provide details in the submission response.  
  • International appeal.

This category will be judged in Stage Two by Presentation.

Category 9 - Best Authentic Experience – Site Based

Travel is all about inspiration.  In an age of smart communications, digital media and always-on connectivity, travellers are looking for something different.  They want to replace the humdrum of the everyday by engaging with local culture and experiencing everything that makes a destination unique in the world.  Experience development is about creating an emotional appeal that will leave a once in a lifetime memory moment. 

Northern Ireland is a land overflowing with giant surprises.  From urban quarter to greenest glen, we are creating multiple opportunities for our visitors to embrace the giant spirit of our people and our land through authentic experiences found only in Northern Ireland.

Entries are invited from tourism providers that are actively engaged in creating a unique Northern Ireland experience; one that is authentically local, that captures the spirit of our people and conveys a sense of the place we call home.  An experience that inspires the visitor. 

This award has been divided into 2 categories – one which is site based and the other focusing on activation of the experience through a tour, trail or immersive activity.   You will be asked to select the appropriate category in the online form.

Entries for both categories need to demonstrate that:

  • The experience is authentically local, provides visitors with a real sense of place and creates memories and associations, which are specific to Northern Ireland.
  • The experience is immersive, providing visitors with the opportunity to engage with our landscapes, heritage and culture.
  • The experience focuses on the needs of the visitor providing a quality end to end experience.
  • The experience is saleable, sustainable and repeatable.

This category will be judged in Stage Two by Presentation.

Category 10 - Best Authentic Experience – Tour, Trail or Immersive

Travel is all about inspiration.  In an age of smart communications, digital media and always-on connectivity, travellers are looking for something different.  They want to replace the humdrum of the everyday by engaging with local culture and experiencing everything that makes a destination unique in the world.  Experience development is about creating an emotional appeal that will leave a once in a lifetime memory moment. 

Northern Ireland is a land overflowing with giant surprises.  From urban quarter to greenest glen, we are creating multiple opportunities for our visitors to embrace the giant spirit of our people and our land through authentic experiences found only in Northern Ireland.

Entries are invited from tourism providers that are actively engaged in creating a unique Northern Ireland experience; one that is authentically local, that captures the spirit of our people and conveys a sense of the place we call home.  An experience that inspires the visitor. 

This award has been divided into 2 categories – one which is site based and the other focusing on activation of the experience through a tour, trail or immersive activity.   You will be asked to select the appropriate category in the online form.

Entries for both categories need to demonstrate that:

  • The experience is authentically local, provides visitors with a real sense of place and creates memories and associations, which are specific to Northern Ireland.
  • The experience is immersive, providing visitors with the opportunity to engage with our landscapes, heritage and culture.
  • The experience focuses on the needs of the visitor providing a quality end to end experience.
  • The experience is saleable, sustainable and repeatable.

This category will be judged in Stage Two by Presentation.