Pembroke Castle and St. David's Cathedral have received Awards of Excellence based on visitor ratings.

The awards were made by Irish bus tour operator, CIE Tours International, which recognises the quality of the UK's hotels and visitor attractions by awarding a merit award to those who have received a greater than 90 per cent customer satisfaction rating.

CIE launched its UK awards three years ago, replicating its long running awards in Ireland. Since then, the numbers of venues and attractions achieving a higher than 90 per cent satisfaction rating in the UK has doubled.

Brian Stack, managing director of CIE Tours International, commented: "Our awards are well recognised and hugely respected in Ireland and it is gratifying to see that the same has happened so quickly in the UK. Our visitors from North America are accustomed to very high levels of service in hospitality and to achieve an above 90 per cent rating from them is very meaningful.

"The rise in standards in only three years in our UK providers is remarkable and it proves that people's efforts in striving for high standards pays off."

CIE Tours brought 14,000 visitors to the UK in 2014, accounting for 90,000 bed nights.