Simon Thomas O’Neill from Oasis Travel’s Holywood Portfolio won Northern Ireland Consultant of the Year 2016 Travel & Tourism Awards. Pictured at the presentation, with promotion girls Sarah Moore (left) and Zara Shaw, are (l-r) Awards host James Nesbitt, Simon Thomas O’Neill from Oasis Travel, and sponsor Ciaran Mulligan from Blue Insurance.

One of the Province's best-known senior travel executives, Simon O'Neill of Oasis Travel won the prestigious Northern Ireland Travel Consultant of the Year award at a recent gala event in the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa. Simon, based in the company s Holywood Portfolio suite, was short-listed by public vote before facing the final test: an interview session with top travel decision makers.

It was red carpet and celebrity sparkle all the way as Jimmy Nesbitt revealed the winners of the hotly anticipated 25th Anniversary Blue Insurance Northern Ireland Travel & Tourism Awards. The star of Cold Feet sashayed into the awards ceremony giving his own rendition of Come Fly With Me and brought his inimitable dash of humour to an occasion which has become recognized over the years as the Oscars of the travel and tourism sector.

Earning glory in the hotly contested category for the Northern Ireland Travel Agency of the Year was Oasis Travel s bustling retail outlet at Howard Street in Belfast city centre. It was the ninth occasion that Oasis Travel had captured the honours, but an honourable first for this particular branch.

Delighted with both the successes, Oasis Travel s Managing Director Sandra Corkin said, It is always thrilling to win accolades, but we are particularly pleased to be double award-winners in this momentous 25th anniversary year. The Blue Insurance Northern Ireland Travel and Tourism Awards are hugely respected, both by the travelling public and by our industry.

Since the inception of the awards a quarter of a century ago, they have grown both in reputation and influence. Today they reflect the strengths and successes of an increasingly important and vibrant business sector in Northern Ireland and holding an award is our version of the Michelin Star .

From all of us in travel and tourism, I thank the two businessmen who have made these awards what they are today. Jonathan Adair and Brian Ogle from the Province s travel newspaper, Northern Ireland Travel News, had the vision and foresight twenty-five years ago to launch a venture to encourage, recognize and reward excellence. In those twenty five years the awards have made a tremendous positive impact on the industry and, as this year s gala event demonstrated, they have lost nothing of their influence or sparkle!

The 25th Anniversary Awards were the biggest since the Awards inception in 1991. The event was, as always, a sell out within weeks of tickets being released, and entrants competed for a record number of 30 different categories of travel and tourism plaudits.