Held last weekend in the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, the Ballycastle establishment came second in the Taste of Northern Ireland category of the prestigious competition.

Organised by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board in association with Diageo Northern Ireland, Tourism Minister Arlene Foster addressed 340 local tourism representatives at the annual NITA which are now into their 31st year.

Arlene Foster said: "It is very encouraging to see a growing number of visitors coming to Northern Ireland from our close to home markets. In 2008, the level of holidaymakers arriving from the Republic of Ireland rose by 26%, with 367,000 trips being made. Tourism revenue in that year also increased, by 16%, to almost £50 million."

Congratulating the winners of the Northern Ireland Tourism Awards the Minister said: "As we all strive towards building Northern Ireland as a must-see world class destination, this evening is an opportunity to celebrate the success and achievements of our local tourism industry.

"Now is the time to build on our successes, and take advantage of the value for money, quality visitor experience that Northern Ireland offers our increasing numbers of visitors.

"We must ensure that those who choose to come to Northern Ireland for business or pleasure, will seek to return in the future. However, continued success can only be achieved through partnership and a coordinated approach across all organisations, in both public and private sectors.

"By working together to improve what we have on offer, we can constantly evolve as a destination and cater to meet the demands of our visitors from near and far."

Winners celebrated their success across a variety of categories including Best Visitor Experience, PR Excellence and People Development, and were chosen from a record number of more than 130 entries.