Council hosts Travel and Tourism Industry Visits for Local Schools

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council recently hosted a pilot Tourism Industry Familiarisation Visit for Travel and Tourism students from local schools, Parkhall Integrated College and Ballyclare Secondary School. 

The students visited Breckenhill and Dunamoy Cottages and Spa, to hear what it takes to run these local tourism businesses, who their target audiences are, and why excellent customer service make visits to these places so memorable and enjoyable for their customers. 

The second part of the day included a visit to the Maldron Hotel at Belfast International Airport, where pupils were welcomed by Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Paul Michael. The hotel’s general manager provided an overview of the operational matters within the airport hotel chain and students had the chance to learn more about the hotel’s relationship with the airport and the direct impact this has on business. 

Students and staff were joined at the Maldron Hotel by members of Belfast International Airport’s Customer Service Team and Marketing and PR Team. This provided an insight to the operation and logistics of an international airport, as well as the demands and flexibility that come with operating this large-scale business 365 days a year. 

Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Paul Michael commented, “It is a fantastic opportunity to see the transition of classroom learning to real working environments and I hope that the students will be able to apply their learning from these visits directly to their portfolio work. It is with thanks to the businesses who took part that young people have been able to see first-hand what careers the travel and tourism industry has on offer within our Borough and beyond.”