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10/01/2020

Dunadry Hotel welcomes Consul following £4million Investment

Following a £4million investment, the 4 star Dunadry Hotel and Gardens in conjunction with the Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Alderman John Smyth welcomed Madame Zhang Meifang, the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Belfast to discuss new opportunities to strengthen the relationships and connections between China and Northern Ireland. 

Following a £4million investment, the 4 star Dunadry Hotel and Gardens in conjunction with the Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Alderman John Smyth welcomed Madame Zhang Meifang, the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Belfast to discuss new opportunities to strengthen the relationships and connections between China and Northern Ireland. 
 
Commenting on her visit Mme Zhang said the visit was an important opportunity to showcase the area and everything it has to offer International visitors. Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Alderman John Smyth said

“Dunadry Hotel and Gardens is a prime example of how local tourism providers can further develop their offer to meet the modern needs and expectations of our international visitors.”  

 
Eddie McKeever, Director at the Dunadry advised that earlier this year, Dunadry Hotel And Gardens was awarded a China Ready certification from Beijing and took part in a sales mission to China with Tourism Ireland to promote NI as a must visit destination for Chinese visitors. 
 

“We were delighted to receive the official China Ready accreditation for the hotel from Beijing during the year. During this assessment we have learnt phrases to help welcome visitors from China to the hotel, developed an understanding of cultural differences and put practical measures in place such as having Union Pay and translation in place.”

 
According to Tourism Ireland, visitor numbers continue to increase to the Island of Ireland with the goal of attracting 125,000 visitors by 2025.

“China is the largest outbound travel market in the world and earlier this year we joined a Tourism Ireland delegation to China to help raise awareness of Northern Ireland, speaking with tour operators and media to increase visitors to the region.”