6 April 2017
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Last evening front of house staff from the hospitality industry in Cork were invited to Cobh Heritage Centre to hear about what the town has to offer to tourists. The event (on April 6th) provided information on the considerable number of attractions in the area together with exciting new itinerary packages.
Hotel receptionists, bar staff, sales and marketing managers met with various representatives from Cobh Tourism including Cobh Heritage Centre “The Queenstown Story”,Titanic Trail Walking Tours, Cobh Museum, Cobh Tourist Office, Cobh Chamber of Commerce, Spike Island,
Cobh highlighted some exciting new developments in the town to the hospitality sector, including new additions to Cobh Heritage Centre; an amazing new attraction, Escapade, which challenges you to escape from a virtual Spike Island prison, rob a bank or assist Sherlock Holmes in solving a dastardly crime, and just last week Cobh became the first destination in the Republic of Ireland to be awarded the prestigious Chinese Tourist Welcome Certification, recognised by tour operators throughout China. Newly unveiled themed itineraries and targeted marketing initiatives are contributing to an ambitious tourism growth strategy for Cobh.
The event emphasised that there is a surprisingly dense concentration of attractions and activities to explore and enjoy in the Cobh Area. In addition to those at the event, the offering also includes a championship golf course at Fota Island, Fota Wildlife Park, Spike Island Adventure, Titanic Experience, Cobh’s Road Train, St. Colman’s Cathedral, Cuskinny Court Group Activity Centre; and, of course, Cruise Ships from around the World, the nearby Jameson Distillery, and the amazing traditional music offering. This pretty seaside town is also a Tidy Towns gold medal recipient and has stunning flower displays and well kept open spaces right on the water’s edge.
Cobh, now situated at the start of Ireland’s Ancient East, is steeped in history, awash with culture, full of great restaurants and bars and has lots of attractions and exhibitions within a short distance of each other. With something for everyone, from families to the adventurous and those seeking culture and heritage this stunning seaside town has been working hard over the past number of years to enhance what it offers to the visitor.
New itineraries have been developed for the town centred around this wonderful cluster of attractions with half day and full day tour suggestions. Some examples are: –
Cobh Cultural Tour: Titanic Walking Trail & Cobh Heritage Centre.
Spike Island Tour: A 6th century monastery, a 200-year-old fortress built to defend an Empire and that became the largest prison in the world all combine to make this a wonderful experience.
Titanic Day: Titanic Trail, the Titanic Experience & the Titanic Memorial Garden
– hear the stories of the 123 passengers who boarded her here in Cobh.
Model of Titanic in Cobh’s Titanic Experience Museum
Heritage and Maritime History: Cobh Museum & Cobh Heritage Centre for an amazing insight into the story of emigration from Cork Harbour. Trace the emigrants’journey – North America, Barbados, Australia – as convicts or as free travellers seeking a better life in a new land.
www.cobhheritage.com and www.cobhmuseum.com
Funday in Cobh: Cork Harbour Boat Hire, Escapade & Cobh Pastimes Old Time Photography Studio
Cobh Cathedral, the Bible Garden at St. Benedict’s Priory and Titanic Memorial Garden Tour:
Commenting Hendrick Verwey, Chairman of Cobh Tourism, said “There has been extraordinary progress over the past number of years in refining and developing Cobh’s tourism offering. Most importantly, it has been a collective effort with so many stakeholders, attractions and hospitality providers coming together to achieve a common goal – to position Cobh as one of Ireland premier tourism destinations. We felt it was time to share these exciting developments with our best ambassadors – front of house staff, hoteliers, tourism attractions and help to bring them up to speed with the excellent product which Cobh now offers”
