‘Mystery shoppers’ in test run for Ocean Race

Date Published: 08-May-2009

HOTEL bookings for the Volvo Ocean Race Stopover are expected to accelerate next week after a slow start, which has been put down to the current economic climate.

Tourism chiefs are hopeful that business will be brisk after next Monday, two weeks before the yachts are due to sail into Galway Bay.

More than 50 hotels, restaurants and other tourist outlets have signed up to Fáilte Ireland’s Price and Service Charter, with many of them taking up their offer of in-house service training in time for the stopover event.

Fiona Monaghan, General Manager of Fáilte Ireland West Region, told the Galway City Tribune that work on the charter had started well over a year ago, when the Volvo stopover was first mooted, but that it had really “picked up momentum” in recent weeks.

In fact ‘mystery shoppers’ have been visiting unsuspecting premises, mainly pubs, in the city as part of Fáilte Ireland’s audit of prices, quality and service.

These inspections were…