Cullen Bay Hotel receives tourism award

The Cullen Bay Hotel has received a Top Ten Employer Award last Friday (June 13) after being voted one of the top tourism employers in the Highlands and Islands.

Richard Lochhead MSP presented the award on behalf of Springboard Scotland - the national charity that promotes careers in tourism, hospitality, travel and leisure.

At the end of last year Springboard Scotland invited staff from tourism business throughout the Highlands & Islands to take part in a survey to find the best tourism employers in the area. Staff at The Cullen Bay Hotel nominated their employers and the hotel as a great place to work and as a result the hotel beat a number of other entrants to the award.

Richard Lochhead MSP said: "The tourism sector workforce across the Highlands and Islands is estimated to be in excess of 20,000 people. These are individuals who play a vital role by delivering service on a daily basis to the many thousands of visitors who travel both within and to the area. I am exceptionally pleased to present this award to a Moray hotel, confirming that Cullen is not just a great place to visit but has employers among the very best in Scotland."

Simon Tucker from the Cullen bay Hotel, said: "We are all delighted at being recognised for all the hard efforts of both family and staff. As a family we have been keen since taking over in 2001 to invest heavily in staff development. As a result we know have a fantastic team at the Cullen Bay Hotel. Staff morale is high and staff turnover has dramatically dropped all as a result of staff training and development."

The other nine tourism employers that received awards from Springboard Scotland are: Creelers Restaurant, Broadford, Skye; Forss House Hotel, Thurso; Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness; The Cèilidh Place, Ullapool; The Torridon, Wester Ross; Royal Marine Hotel, Brora; Nevis Range ski resort, Fort William, Quayside Bingo in Elgin and Glenfinnan House Hotel, Fort William.

Maria Peter, tourism manager at Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) said: "HIE has enabled Springboard Scotland to employ project managers in Argyll, Lochaber, Skye, Outer Hebrides, Caithness and Sutherland, and Inverness who are responsible for working with businesses, supporting then with their recruitment and retention needs."

Springboard also works with partners to develop innovative programmes to support people back into work ensuring that there is a sustainable labour pool that employers in the Highlands and Islands can select from.