agendaNi tourism report summer 2017

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

A strategy for growth

The economic contribution of visitors from outside of Northern Ireland to the region is almost three times greater than the value of the domestic market, John McGrillen explains, as he outlines plans to grow the tourism sector with a fresh focus on attracting people to Northern Ireland.

The Tourism NI CEO is boosted in his mission to raise the economic value of out of state visitors to Northern Ireland from £614 million to £1 billion by 2025 by encouraging figures for the sector in 2016. These largely outlined increases from every market including 36 per cent from the Republic of Ireland, 7 per cent from Great Britain, 15 per cent from Europe and 9 per cent from the USA.

The overall figures for the Republic of Ireland mask a relatively poor performance for the first half of the year before a focused campaign by Tourism NI and changes in the exchange rate following the Brexit referendum led to large uplifts in visitor numbers and expenditure in the second half of 2016.

McGrillen is confident that the results of the second half of the year can be carried in to 2017 and built upon over future years. However, the strategy developed to aid this growth is still awaiting political sign-off following the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive. He says: “The logical process was to agree a Programme for Government, then the Industrial Strategy

and then a Tourism Growth Strategy. Increasing the economic input of the tourism sector is an integral part of the previous two, and while the industrial strategy managed to squeeze out the door before the Assembly collapse, that didn’t happen with the tourism strategy.”

The hope is that the strategy will be signed off when an Executive reforms. Explaining its ethos McGrillen outlines: “Essentially the strategy is set in the context of aiming to be more competitive internationally. We recognise the importance of the domestic market, particularly outside of the major tourist destinations such as Belfast or the Causeway Coast and during the offseason, however there is limited

Tourism Northern Ireland CEO John McGrillen discusses plans to further grow Northern Ireland’s performance in the global marketplace through focusing on increasing visitor numbers and expenditure from outside of the region.

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

potential for growth domestically. Therefore, if we want to develop the economic benefit that tourism can bring we need to concentrate on growth from external markets.”

To reach the £1 billion target, the strategy is likely to focus on six key pillars, all of which will aid the overall aim of attracting more people to Northern Ireland, ensuring that they stay longer and increasing the amount they spend.

Market focus

McGrillen highlights that Northern Ireland will benefit from tailoring its tourism offering to reflect the wider international desire for travel. Recent statistics from the World Tourism Travel Council indicate that tourism is expected to grow by around 4 per cent per annum across the globe to 2026. He believes Northern Ireland will secure the majority of its growth from its current core markets but that there will also be a significant opportunity from new and emerging markets such as China, India and other parts of Asia. “For us to deliver on the strategy we need to perform well in our core markets but we also need to exploit the opportunities that are arising out of new markets.”

Segmentation of the market is critical to ensuring that Tourism NI simultaneously develops the right marketing content for a receptive audience and ensures that it reaches its target. McGrillen explains that collaboration with Tourism Ireland has identified the three key groups in which there should be a greater focus on attracting. These include the culturally curious; young families looking to escape their daily routine; and social energisers – people who are looking for an urban experience.

“With greater clarity on who we are targeting then we can develop our products and marketing to meet their needs and demands. With our push to increase visitor numbers market focus is absolutely critical in the first instance.”

Experience building

A large part of attracting those potential visitors to Northern Ireland lies in the presentation, explains McGrillen. Pointing to the success of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, he states that simply allowing visitors to find the highlights of Northern Ireland by their own steam is not enough. “We are currently looking at how we can package the Northern Ireland tourism offer in a way that complements existing destinations on the island of Ireland but also to compete

with those other regions so that we are at the forefront when visitors are deciding where to spend their money.” While marketing will help promote Northern Ireland’s highlights, McGrillen is keen to state that the development of new, compelling “world class” experiences to meet consumers’ expectations is probably the most important issue. The success of places like Titanic Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway has demonstrated the benefit of investing in world class products but their success is now raising questions around sustainability of some of Northern Ireland’s most popular attractions. He explains: “We need to distribute people around Northern Ireland and give them a reason to visit other areas in addition to those main attractions. A large part of this is developing product in those areas which will match with the desires of those incoming visitors. So, it may be developing more of an experience around the landscape of the Mourne Mountains or the Lakes of Fermanagh or developing the cultural product in the likes of Derry~Londonderry, Armagh and Downpatrick. We also need to build on the success of the Year of Food and Drink to ensure that people can experience the quality of product which we have to offer right across Northern Ireland.”

Visitors at the recently opened Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy.

Access

Despite the Republic of Ireland being a direct competitor in terms of visitor numbers, McGrillen acknowledges the international links offered by Dublin are a huge benefit to Northern Ireland tourism but is also aware of visitors’ tendencies to concentrate in the area which they land. One of the challenges for the tourism sector in Northern Ireland is trying to ensure greater direct access to the airports in Belfast and Derry.

Once visitors are here, a further challenge is keeping them here for longer. One way of doing this, he suggests, is to offer immersive experiences. “People no longer want to simply observe different cultures, they want to be part of it and engage with local people and their stories. Part of our focus is packaging some of the things that we already have into a bigger experience that visitors can see as a three or four-day itinerary, which is easy to put together and easy to purchase.”

McGrillen points to the Year and Food and Drink as a perfect example of exploiting unique elements of Northern Ireland. For the £2 million that Tourism NI invested in the initiative, the organisation estimates that around £50 million was generated in positive PR. In addition, over 17 new food tours were developed alongside numerous festivals which have provided Northern Ireland

with a platform to further build on. Praising the impact that events which encourage mass visitors have had on improving Northern Ireland’s reputation, such as the Giro d'Italia in 2014 or the hosting of the Irish Open in 2012 and 2015, he is also aware of a need for further development of the North’s unique events. “Increasingly what we need to do is pick out those things that are unique to Northern Ireland and can help build the brand further. By this I mean events such as the North West 200 or the Auld Lammas Fair in Ballycastle, things that you won’t find anywhere else in the world and incorporate these into our product marketing.”

Investment

McGrillen points to the attractions of Titanic Belfast and The Giant’s Causeway as examples of success due to significant investment and contrasts

these with the underinvestment that is evident in Northern Ireland’s museums and galleries. Having identified the “culturally curious” as the largest potential market segment for attracting visitors, underinvestment in our cultural and heritage assets is a major problem and needs to be addressed.

McGrillen explains that incorporating new technologies, such as augmented reality and virtual reality is critical to ensure Northern Ireland is challenging its competitors. “There is a lot of expertise in the area of new technologies within Northern Ireland but to date we haven’t fully utilised this expertise in our own industry to help develop experiences.”

He adds: “I believe there would be a great appetite for things like walking St Patrick’s Way alongside St Patrick, or if you look at the filming locations for Game of Thrones heightening the visitor experience with new technologies.”

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

“People no longer want to simply observe different cultures, they want to be part of it and engage with local people and their stories.”

Commercial focus

Investment in developing business and driving a greater commercial focus for Northern Ireland requires greater commitment, explains McGrillen. “There has been a very limited investment in developing businesses within the tourism industry. We often hear this mantra that our industry is less well developed when compared to other regions but the truth is that we have never been provided with the resources to develop the capacity of the industry in the same way that other sectors have been supported.”

The strategy is likely to endorse the creation of a Tourism Growth Fund, a recommendation made by John Hunter as part of his review of tourism structures in Northern Ireland in 2014. McGrillen suggests that this should not be solely focussed on capital development but also looking at supporting the variety of SMEs and micro-enterprises which make up the tourism eco-system in a way that has never been done before.

He explains: “Typically our larger accommodation providers can avail of support via Invest NI but there needs to be a focus on also offering direct support to small businesses, as opposed to simply inviting them to participate in workshops etc. We want to address their needs too, and we need to be innovative, offering ‘webinars’ or utilising digital technology to reach those businesses who simply aren’t able to lose a day’s income or free up that time.”

McGrillen has called for greater focus on commercial orientation from the public sector. Acknowledging the difficult role that local authorities play in delivering a broad range of services to the citizen, he is aware of the ease in which council-run attractions often get lost amid the overall performance measures. Pointing to Tourism NI’s work with Belfast City Council at Belfast Waterfront, where a commercial entity was established to operate the facility, McGrillen hopes to encourage more public sector provision to be commercialised in the near future, with the aim of driving up competitiveness and securing more business.

Digital

All businesses, whether public or private need to get to the stage where digital booking becomes standard procedure, stresses McGrillen. A digital presence is

critical to securing and retaining business in today’s tourism world. He explains that visitor engagement is critical but needs collaboration across the industry. This ranges from the creation and distribution of marketing content to attract a visitor through to how they are communicated with when they arrive and the provision of information to allow them to choose what they do and where they go whilst they are here. “There is also a great opportunity for the Northern Ireland tourism sector to collect data from our visitors and allow us to continually shape our products and services to meet consumer demands. Our ability to master digital technology and maximise the use of it is going to be critically important to Tourism NI as an organisation and to the industry as a whole.”

Future

While McGrillen hopes that the strategy will be critical to shaping the future of Northern Ireland tourism, he is conscious that a number of factors need to be in place for it to be successful. He expands: “We can’t do any of this if we don’t have the right people with the right skills. The feedback that we are getting from the industry is that skills is a very challenging issue at this point in time and there is a gap in the education and provision being provided and that which is required to meet the needs of the industry. There is an issue for the Department for the Economy to ensure that the right skillsets are available to drive growth.

“The uncertainty around Brexit has not helped with this. Talented non-nationals within the industry are unsure about whether they will be allowed to remain here. Reports from the industry suggest that the people who have invested in training and skilling themselves are looking at relocating to the Republic of Ireland, Spain or France for example.

Getting some certainty around Brexit is going to be important in this domain.”

Sticking with Brexit, McGrillen says their efforts to sell Northern Ireland as part of an all-island holiday destination could be impacted by the existence of a hard border and emphasises that concerns around attracting global conferences have already emerged in the form of worries by organisers that delegates may have to fill out additional visa forms if delegates are travelling via Dublin Airport.

McGrillen also points to the potential impact of rising inflation rates in the UK and a subsequent drop in disposable income as factors that cannot be ignored. On the flip side, the tourism industry in Britain is suggesting that more and more people are taking holidays at home and this is potentially beneficial for Northern Ireland as it is largely viewed as part of the overall domestic market.

“As a result, Tourism Ireland have reapportioned their resources, focussing more on the States, mainland Europe and China and less so on the UK. The risk for us is that we are much more dependent on the UK market than the Republic is, so we need to ensure that we are going to see a return from these new markets which will equal or exceed any potential loss of business from the UK.”

Despite the uncertainty McGrillen remains very optimistic for the remainder of 2017. Visitors arriving onto the island of Ireland from North America are up 26 per cent over the first quarter of the year and occupancy levels and forward bookings for hotels in Northern Ireland are looking very positive. “I’ve no doubt that our target to grow export sales to £1 billion by 2025 is achievable but, in the absence of a roadmap for the future that we can all buy into, our challenge is significantly greater,” he adds.

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

“Our ability to master digital technology and maximise the use of it is going to be critically important to Tourism NI as an organisation and to the industry as a whole.”

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

Tourism VAT reduction a Brexit possibility

An inquiry into the potential benefits for lowering the VAT rate for Northern Ireland’s tourism sector has been closed with no signal whether the new UK Government will respond to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee findings.

Changes to the VAT rate for Northern Ireland’s tourism sector with the aim of making Northern Ireland equally competitive with the Republic of Ireland could be a possibility post-Brexit, MPs have found.

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee recently published their findings of the ‘promoting the tourism industry in Northern Ireland through the tax system’ inquiry and have urged the Government to explore further the potential of implementing regional variations in tourism VAT.

The report points out a growing tourism sector in Northern Ireland over the last two decades but notes that favourable tax advantages for the Republic of Ireland has the potential to inhibit growth within the region’s tourism industry.

Recognising Northern Ireland’s unique position of sharing a land border with a country outside of the UK, the report states that “the lack of a level playing field for Northern Ireland’s tourism industry, especially given that tourism is promoted on an all-Ireland basis, means that its hotels and restaurants, particularly in border areas, are at a significant competitive disadvantage”.

Northern Ireland’s tourism businesses are faced with the problem of losing out to custom if deemed too expensive, however, the report argues that by reducing costs, businesses run the longterm risk of lessening Northern Ireland’s tourism offer by reducing their capacity to invest and to create jobs. As a result, the MPs state that the issues facing Northern Ireland’s tourism should have a stronger

influence on the UK Government’s policy formation around the effects of taxation in the sector.

Previously EU law meant that any attempts to have the rate of tourism VAT reduced for Northern Ireland would have necessitated a reduction across the UK. Although the outcomes of any new arrangements with the EU and the UK have not been formulated, it is likely that the law prohibiting the implementation of regional rates will no longer apply and therefore facilitate the reduction for Northern Ireland, while a more expensive reduction in other parts of the UK, which do not share the same competitive pressures, will not be necessary.

With figures attained from former DUP Finance Minister Mervyn Storey, the

The Red Arrows fly past the Queen Elizabeth II liner as it docks into the Port of Belfast.

report estimates a direct annual cost of £70 million per year but explains that this figure does not reflect the indirect benefits, namely increased tourism expenditure, higher corporation tax receipts and lower unemployment. These benefits, it argues, could be sizeable in an area with more pronounced competitive pressures than the rest of the UK.

While the Treasury has raised doubts about whether tourism performance in the Republic of Ireland can be solely linked to VAT reduction, the committee notes extensive evidence from industry and experts that the lowering to 9 per cent in 2011 from the standard 20 per cent across the UK “brought substantial economic benefits to its tourism industry and the wider economy”.

Giving evidence to the committee, Hospitality Ulster, which represents bars, hotels and restaurants, estimated that a tourism VAT reduction to 9 per cent had the potential to create 8,500 jobs and increase visitor numbers by 16 per cent.

However, no consensus currently exists between industry and government on the cost benefits of any reduction. The criticism for government is that the focus is too much on the direct cost and

not the indirect benefits, while those industry figures supporting the reduction are accused of making universal assumptions.

Acknowledging that much of the evidence gathered by the committee was done before the EU referendum, and so in a context for a nation-wide reduction, the committee argues that there is now a notable case to look at the issue from a Northern Ireland perspective alone.

The report states: “It is clear further analysis is required from the Government, Executive and tourism industry to build greater consensus around the true cost, or benefit, to the Exchequer of reducing tourism VAT.”

It adds: “It is concerning that the Treasury’s main justifications for maintaining the status quo ignore the realities of the cross-border competition that exists on the island of Ireland. The UK’s tourism industry may be generally well-placed internationally, but it is clear that the tourism industry in the Republic of Ireland continues to enjoy a significant competitive advantage over the tourism industry in Northern Ireland arising from the tax system.

“The Government has recognised the problem caused to Northern Ireland by

the lower rate of corporation tax in the Republic, but seemingly not the loss of revenue to the tourism industry.”

The report calls for greater transparency from the Treasury in relation to its economic modelling methods and states that it is encouraged that it is now willing to take further evidence and discuss the issue in great detail. It concludes that greater collaboration is needed to conclusively determine whether a strong economic case exists for the VAT tourism reduction.

Air connectivity

As part of the inquiry and subsequent report, the committee also looked at Air Passenger Duty (APD) and its influence on Northern Ireland’s airline industry. Pointing out “compelling” evidence that the tourism industry is missing out on opportunities because of the region’s airport challenges in attracting new routes, it points out that in comparison with the Republic of Ireland, “the UKs aviation tax regime places Northern Ireland at a significant competitive disadvantage”.

It states that following on from negative feedback from the air travel industry to the Northern Ireland Executive’s exploration of abolishing Air Passenger Duty, there is now a case for examining the issue based on the dominance of Dublin Airport on the island.

The predecessor to the committee had recommended that the Treasury and Northern Ireland Executive explore ways to reduce or abolish APD on all flights into Northern Ireland from Great Britain and on all direct flights from Northern Ireland to any destination. However, this recommendation was overlooked because EU rules prohibited it. In light of the Brexit referendum outcome, the committee has urged the Government to reconsider the previous proposal. It is the committee’s belief that abolishing APD would encourage new routes and bring substantial benefits to the regional economy.

It concludes: “The Executive should seek the full devolution of APD, and follow the Scottish Government’s example by recognising the potential benefits of reducing or, preferably abolishing APD.”

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

Screen tourism

Although by no means the only major piece of filming commissioned in Northern Ireland, Game of Thrones is considered the region’s most critical in terms of putting Northern Ireland on the world map as a production location.

Its huge fan base has set it apart from other notable productions filmed in Northern Ireland such as Dracula Untold, Your Highness and hit drama The Fall, with huge potential recognised in growing the tourism sector by attracting fans of the production.

Although the popularity of Game of

Thrones went largely underestimated initially, the value of correctly marketing such a successful product can be evidenced in the likes of Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, used as Hogwarts in the early Harry Potter films, which generated an estimated £4.3 million screen tourism spend in 2014. Bampton, the village used for Downtown Abbey has generated an estimated £2.7 million and more nationally, Norway and New Zealand have witnessed huge international spend increase as a result of their association with Frozen and The Lord of the Rings, respectively.

While Northern Ireland has sought to capitalise on its association with Game of Thrones and other major productions, it does not have a strategy specifically aimed at screen tourism. In 2016, Tourism NI commissioned Olsberg SPI, following on from work undertaken for Creative England in 2014, to study the value of screen tourism in Northern Ireland. Due to be published later in the year, the report has yet to be released.

However, a summary of the key findings has been released to agendaNi from Tourism NI. The findings state:

Following the announcement of the final series of Game of Thrones, a major part of screen tourism revenue in Northern Ireland, David Whelan talks with Film Studies lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast, Stefano Baschiera, about the success and potential growth for the sector.

The Dark Hedges in Ballymoney has become a screen tourism attraction following its use in Game of Thrones as the King’s Road

Photo credit: North Belfast News

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

• awareness of the region is high and a “significant” number of tourists have travelled to the area who would not have done so without its screen links;

• a conservative estimate of the value of screen tourism per annum is £18 million. This figure is based on the estimate that 55,000 extra people are travelling to Northern Ireland every year with screen content as their main reason for travel;

• if screen tourism continues on its current trajectory over the next two years, there is the potential to grow the market to £33 million, with opportunity for further product development and merchandise; and

• outside of “international core screen tourists” a potential market of 167,000 visitors are attracted to Northern Ireland due to its links with film or television drama.

“Northern Ireland does have advantages that other countries do not and as a result, where previously many people in Northern Ireland involved in the film industry had to seek work in London and elsewhere, there are now more and more people being retained in a thriving industry.”

Stefano Baschiera

Stefano Baschiera believes that the current success of Northern Ireland in attracting major productions, and as a result harbouring of screen tourism, are rooted in the attraction of major investment for the filming of City of Ember back in 2007.

“Previous to this Belfast was largely used for filming because of its own storyline and often it would have film crews coming in from places like England, for example, for one day shooting and leaving again. This relationship meant that Northern Ireland’s film industry got no knowledgetransfer benefit and there was next to no significant expenditure increase from them being there,” he says.

“With City of Ember this changed, the large inward investment utilised the film studio space available at Titanic. On one hand, it helped showcase the advantages of Northern Ireland as a production destination with its variety and closeness of infrastructure and the fact that it was English-speaking. On the other hand, it also helped highlight that Northern Ireland could logistically handle

such a large production and that the skillset existed.”

Baschiera agrees that the lack of hard data makes analysing the benefits of investments in the sector against the costs difficult but believes that some of the benefits are clear.

He adds: “A generalisation is to look at what Northern Ireland production offered 10 years ago and what is on offer now. The ability to host, manage and execute productions of such volume is a great skillset when selling Northern Ireland for future productions. Northern Ireland

Filming of upcomming feature film Trautmann taking place in Belfast

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

Credit: North Belfast News

“Not every production will provide the same level of interest and Northern Ireland must be able to capitalise and properly market those that do.”

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

does not have the film industry legacy of other European countries but even from a university perspective, we have seen several former students undertaking seasonal work and training opportunities in the industry that may not previously have existed and that knowledge transfer will be crucial for constant improvement.

“Despite its legacy, Scotland has undoubtedly suffered because it does not have the dominant studio space offering that exists here. Northern Ireland does have advantages that other countries do not and as a result, where previously many people in Northern Ireland involved in the film industry had to seek work in London and elsewhere, there are now more and more people being retained in a thriving industry.”

Asked about sustainability, with fears raised over over-investment in products that retain relatively short shelf lives, Baschiera remains optimistic.

“I believe that the right things are in place for Northern Ireland to succeed in

this sector even when Game of Thrones is completed. Currently, we have good infrastructure and experienced crews. The variety of locations offered in a short driving distance from Belfast will remain a strong attraction for every production. Moreover, our studio space, in terms of square metre, can compete with most countries in Europe and as a place Northern Ireland’s reputation for accommodation, food and drink etcetera has increased,” he says.

“However, there are challenges. Global competition exists and many other countries and regions will be competing to host future productions and screen tourists. Northern Ireland initially had a slightly delayed reaction to capitalising on the popularity of Game of Thrones from a touristic perspective, but now has a far greater offering. Globally people know that much of the production is set here. The association between Northern Ireland and GOT was also stressed by events like the Queen visiting ‘the iron throne’. However, not every production will provide the same level of interest and Northern Ireland must be able to

capitalise and properly market those that do.

Asked where Northern Ireland should be looking for further production and the whether there was the potential to create a home-grown production of similar magnitude, Baschiera believes the main focus should be put on competitiveness.

“With the changing production landscape, because of the likes of Amazon and Netflix, Northern Ireland has more opportunities to attract inwards investment and high end productions. The future challenges, however, consist in the involvement of private investment at national level in film production,” he says.

“I think fantasy/sci-fi suits Northern Ireland’s niche strengths best for big production. We can’t compete with the metropolitan offering of Europe’s biggest cities but we have the scenery, logistics and location to be a leading attraction. Evolving digital technology will be a key part of all future major productions and Northern Ireland must ensure that has the ability to innovate and skill in this area.”

Audley’s Field, Strangford Lough, County Down used as both Winterfell and Robb’s camp in Game of Thrones

collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

2016 tourism in numbers

With greater recognition and focus on the potential for tourism to help grow the Northern Ireland economy, agendaNi analyses the recently published figures for 2016.

Statistically, the overall tourism figures for 2016 largely resemble the figures for 2015, however, a range of economic and political factors have led to a shift in where visitors to Northern Ireland are coming from and how much is being spent.

While figures for the overall number of trips for Northern Ireland portray a 1 per cent increase between 2015 and 2016,

the statistic somewhat masks a changing trend between domestic and external visitors. Where previously, Northern Ireland has been heavily dependent on its domestic market, the number of overall trips defined as domestic fell by 11 per cent across the year but was balanced by a 12 per cent increase in external overnight trips. This shift has been attributed to a number of factors including the value of sterling against

foreign currency post-Brexit referendum and initiatives aimed at attracting a broader market to the region.

A drive to help grow the economy of Northern Ireland through tourism, as outlined in the Programme for Government, will have its level of success measured largely on the two key areas of number of overnight trips and the associated expenditure.

number of overnight trips, nights and expenditure in Northern Ireland 2015 vs 2016

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

Places of origin of overnight trips

While the number of overall nights has fallen by 2 per cent over the year, largely driven by a 20 per cent reduction in domestic stays and 6 per cent increase in external stays, the level of overall expenditure is up by 11 per cent. Both the domestic (8 per cent) and external (13 per cent) registered increases in this area.

A headline figure from 2015 statistics, highlighting a five year low in the number

of overnight visitors coming from the Republic of Ireland, appears to have been reversed and the 0.5 million visitors is a significant uplift from the 2015 figure of 319,870.

Of the 2.1 million overnight trips taken in Northern Ireland by people outside of the island, 91 per cent of Great Britain visitors arrived via Northern Ireland ports, whereas almost two thirds of visitors from outside the UK and Ireland came through the Republic of Ireland’s ports.

Reason for trip

The main two reasons given for those staying overnight in Northern Ireland were for holiday/leisure (2.1 million) and visiting friends/relatives (1.8 million).

Since 2011 hotel accommodation occupancy in Northern Ireland has risen steadily in line with the increasing number of overnight trips. From January 2016 to December 2016 there was an estimated 2.02 million rooms sold in comparison to the 1.9 million figure for the same period in 2015. The percentage of hotel rooms occupied last year is estimated to be 70 per cent.

Visitor attractions

Out of the 400 visitor attractions surveyed at the end of December 2016, it is estimated that there were a total of 15 million visits made in 2016. Excluding country parks, the Giants Causeway World Heritage Site was the biggest

Top 10 visitor attractions 2016

Giant’s Causeway

Titanic Belfast

Ulster Museum

Carrick-a-rede

Derry’s Walls

W5

The Guildhall

Oxford Island

Pickie Fun Park

Belfast Zoo

draw, improving by 11 per cent on the previous year and coming close to the 1 million visitor mark (944,000). Titanic Belfast, Northern Ireland’s second most popular attraction in 2016, attracted 667,000 visitors, up 7 per cent from 2015.

Cruise ships

The growing attractiveness of Northern Ireland as a cruise ship destination is reflected in the stark increase from the 32 ships in 2011 to the 93 that docked in 2016. Last year cruise ships brought 152,000 passengers and crew to Northern Ireland. Of the 93 cruise ships that docked, the majority (81) docked in Belfast, five docked in Derry and seven docked in other ports.

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

Stairway to heaven

increase in tourism, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council do not own the surrounding land and would therefore either need to purchase land or require a landowner to develop facilities. A further problem lies in most of the site being designated within an Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI), limiting development potential.

While the Council have acted to introduce interim measures and infrastructure into the busy site, such as traffic management, toilet facilities, signage and leaflets, this increase is estimated to be costing an additional ongoing £3,700 per month. There is also additional staffing costs to redeploy staff from other duties at the Marble Arch Caves or at other Geopark sites, which minutes of a Council meeting revealed were “beyond the budget provision made for the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark in the year 2017/18.”

The number of visitors travelling to Cuilcagh Mountain in Fermanagh has risen by almost 700 per cent since wooden boardwalk infrastructure was put in place in 2015.

Nicknamed ‘stairway to heaven’, the idyllic views, beautiful surroundings and tranquil isolation of the area have been catapulted into a wider public consciousness thanks to social media and it is now estimated that over 1,000 people visit the spot daily during busy holiday periods.

However, the massive draw of tourists has not been welcomed by all, mainly because the area does not have the necessary infrastructure to support such a vast increase in interest.

Ironically, the wooden boardwalk, now the focus of many visitors’ ‘selfies’ from the mountain’s 666m summit, was built as a means of environmental protection against what was then around 3,000 people per year seeking to climb Cuilcagh. Last year it was estimated that around 24,000 people attempted to reach the summit.

It was built with funding provided by the

European Union through the INTERREG IVA Border Uplands Project managed by the Special European Union Programmes Body and the Irish Central Border Area Network with the aim of protecting the blanket bog and restore areas of peatland in the special area of conservation.

The trail, which stretches for around 33km, travels through quiet farmland track before reaching the boardwalk which rises along the mountain face. A rough mountain path then stems up to the wild summit plateau, where an ancient cairn (the remains of a burial mound dating from the Bronze Age 2,500 – 500 BC) stands. The summit of the mountain looks down on the impressive Lough Atona.

However, its popularity has also caused disruption. Local farmers have complained about traffic volumes along the Marlbrough Loop Road, which also accommodates visitors to the popular Marble Arch Caves. While, the designated carpark for the site, only accommodates around 40 cars.

Although there have been calls locally to extend the car park and capture the

At the meeting it was also stated that the Council intends to apply for Preparatory Technical Support under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 to scope, plan and develop long-term infrastructure solutions for Cuilcagh.

A council spokesperson says: “To manage the rapid growth in visitors and the associated traffic management issues, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is working with Transport NI, PSNI, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and with local land owners to sustainably manage the area to enhancing visitor experience.

“Short term measures that have been put in place include the deployment of additional staff at peak times to direct traffic, provision of additional signage, undertaking minor works to the road and opening of car parking and facilities at the nearby Killykeegan Nature Reserve. Alongside this, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is actively pursuing longer term solutions to the increased usage of Cuilcagh for recreation. The Council encourages people to visit this stunning landscape but asks that all visitors cooperate fully with parking arrangements and advice and guidance from Council officials.”

A piece of infrastructure built to preserve a bog in County Fermanagh has led to a massive swell of visitor interest in the area but at a potential environmental cost.

Credit: Gary McMurray

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

Local economic growth

Mid Ulster: grow visitor economy to £50 million by 2021

Previously the region of Mid Ulster had failed to exploit its tourism potential driven by a lack of recognition of the value of growth in the tourism sector to the overall local economy. The publication of a new five-year strategy in April pointed to a “lack of visibility” in the overall Northern Ireland tourism marketplace. While Mid Ulster is recognised for its retail offering and historical sites, a lack of collaboration meant that it registered just 4.6 per cent of the overnight trips in Northern Ireland and 3.6 per cent of the overall spend in 2014. An overview of past performance concluded that Mid Ulster tourism was dominated by day trips and those visiting family and friends.

The strategy has put a strong emphasis on both increasing visitor numbers to the area and retaining them for longer. The vision is “To enhance Mid Ulster’s image and reputation for visitors and grow the visitor economy to £50 million by 2021 as measured by overnight visitor expenditure”. To do this the council have identified three strands incorporating the Seamus Heaney legacy; archaeological sites, history and heritage; and outdoor activities.

In Heaney, the Council aim to further promote the £4.2 million Seamus Heaney HomePlace at Bellaghy opened in 2016 and add to its wider potential by surrounding it with inter-linking initiatives and connections to the wider tourism and hospitality sector.

Soaked in archaeology, history and heritage, most notably its association with the Flight of the Earls and the plantation legacy, Mid Ulster aims to benefit from the global trend that has seen cultural tourism emerge as the most rapidly growing sub-sector of the industry. To do this, the strategy sets out ambitions to combine its assets as a package offering to tourists and positions the area as a centre of excellence for history and heritage. Promoting this offering and developing an itinerary will be key to ensuring that visitors can be

dispersed throughout the council area, as will plans to develop a year round programme of events.

In many ways, outdoor activity in Mid Ulster needs similar organisation and collaboration as the cultural tourism sector. Mid Ulster has benefited from pockets of investment and improvements in areas such as the Sperrins, while areas such as Lough Neagh are underutilised. Visibility problems for Mid Ulster’s offering has driven a desire for greater coherency and increasing competitiveness against other local authority attractions. Expanding awareness and promotion of existing and new sites for outdoor activity, spanning from leisure walks to extreme sports, will focus both on site development and management. The strategy also proposes a special focus on accessibility to key sights.

All three strands aim to support an ongoing focus towards food and events which already exists in the council area. By collaborating its assets and developing the Mid Ulster brand, the strategy aims to fully realise the potential of tourism to become an economic driver, helping to sustain more jobs and businesses, particularly as a year round sector.

agendaNi gives a snapshot of some of the latest tourism strategies to be published by local authorities.

Credit: Monkiiiey Henry Clark

Newry, Mourne and Down: mountains, myths and maritime

momentum in the industry, with overall expenditure for 2015 approximated at £47.7 million and overnight stays around 1.06 million. However, challenges have been acknowledged in stimulating growth. These include an over-dependence on Northern Ireland visitors and a high degree of seasonality, brought about largely by the absence of a strong flagship product and limited wet weather product. A lack of a cohesive strategy linking in tourism offerings has been damaging both to the dispersal of tourists and to the marketing of the area and product development.

Launched in March, the overarching aim of the strategy to 2021 is to cement NMD as a leading premier tourism destination in Ireland. The strategy is underlined by the key themes of experiential, personalised, iconic and immersive and creative (EPIC) and sets out three key aims of: becoming the destination of choice in Northern Ireland; becoming Northern Ireland’s premier outdoor/adventure destination; and to become one of Northern Ireland’s finest events destinations.

NMD’s tourism strategy is geared towards building on current

Creating a joined-up approach to tourism, spanning from access infrastructure through to international marketing is a key strand of the strategy, with the overall aim being to drive economic growth through the industry. Focussing on ‘mountains, myths and maritime’, NMD sees an opportunity to redefine itself as a destination experience. As well as major attractions in these areas such as the Mourne Mountains and the Ring of Gullion, the Mourne Coastal Route, and the story of St Patrick, the strategy also sets out potential for surrounding communities to build an identity as gateways. The target markets for growth are listed as the ‘culturally curious’, ‘great escapers’ and ‘social energisers’. The strategy sets a range of improvements in catalyst projects and critical infrastructure within the area of mountains, myths and maritime tailored to captivate these markets.

Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon: 10 per cent annual growth

Despite being second only to Belfast as Northern Ireland’s largest local authority, ABC Council attracted just 3 per cent of the Northern Ireland total of overnight stays and the expenditure of £22.5 million was the lowest of all 11 councils. As the area’s reputation for quality food, drink and hospitality continues to grow internationally, the five-year strategy to 2022 has pointed to a greater emphasis on packaging its history, culture and heritage to compliment the agri-food and hospitality sectors.

The strategy sets out ambitious plans to grow the local tourism economy by 10 per cent every year through attracting greater number of visitors and increasing their level of expenditure and enhance the identity of the area as a marketleading, heritage and cultural international tourism destination.

It points to significant development of offerings around its linen and literary history and its success in producing highquality artisan food and drink. It adds: “Further development and greater investment in the already-successful FE McWilliam Gallery and Studio is also earmarked as part of the plan,

alongside an enhanced events programme which includes the Home of St Patrick, Food & Cider and Georgian Festivals.”

A key focus is to be placed on establishing Armagh City and the orchard hinterland as a destination centrepiece and increased tourist accommodation development is to be explored borough-wide.

Credit: Philip McErlean

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

Walking on air: Seamus Heaney

In September 2016, the Seamus Heaney HomePlace opened its doors in Bellaghy. By December the centre had welcomed 11,000 people through its doors. Ciarán Galway speaks with Centre Manager Brian McCormick.

Lying halfway between Belfast and Derry, upon the site of a former RUC redoubt (the thick stone perimeter walls of which are still visible), HomePlace has become a symbol of renewal in the heart of south Derry. This is Heaney country.

Brian McCormick, the Centre Manager

and also Heaney’s nephew, describes: “As someone who was brought up very close to here, I can still picture in my mind what [the barracks] was like for many years and now, to have a building which celebrates the local community and one that people can feel proud of

within Bellaghy and further afield, is something that is very important to us.” Whilst Seamus Heaney became globally renowned, worked in the United States and, for much of his adult life, lived in Sandymount in Dublin (alternating with Glanmore, County Wicklow), Bellaghy

forever remained, and perpetually remains, his home in the sincerest sense of the word. Fintan O’Toole, during a lecture he delivered in HomePlace, suggested that nobody in contemporary literature evokes home to the same extent as Heaney. A childhood spent amidst the fields, hedgerows and rustic realities captured his imagination and informed much of his creative outpouring. Like Heaney’s work itself, a sense of place, family and rurality are interwoven throughout HomePlace.

McCormick explains: “We feel that this was the only place for a building dedicated to his life and works. He was very proud of where he was from and obviously he returned here time and time again through both his work and in person and hence that is reflected in the name.” He adds: “His wife Marie described this area as his Eden. It’s where he always wanted to come back to. To have a building that celebrates someone who is their most famous son is very important for this local community.”

Passing through the spacious ground floor atrium and into the main exhibit, a visit swiftly transforms into an intensely personal experience. Meandering through the displays and peering into the chronology of Heaney’s life, it is possible to extract a deep sense of context. Associated poems, adjacent to blown-up images from his past, immortalise specific characters and experiences –“things remembered”. The death of his younger brother, Christopher in Mid Term Break. Rosie Keenan, a blind, piano-playing neighbour in At the Wellhead. A honeymoon trip to London with his wife Marie in The Underground. The death of his mother, Margaret in When all the Others Were Away at Mass. In relation to uniqueness, McCormick outlines: “Whenever we were developing the concept we actually tried to go and find a similar facility that we could learn from, but we couldn’t find one anywhere. As we understand it, this is the first literary and arts centre dedicated to a literary figure, certainly on the island of Ireland. We are very lucky in that we have an exhibition space, but we also have the Helicon [amphitheatre] where we have a fully-functioning arts programme. It’s very much a living, breathing building. We have supported that with an extensive education programme that we’re currently rolling out.”

The initial exhibition room concludes poignantly with the poems he dedicated to Anna Rose, Aibhín and Síofra, his only grandchildren at the time of his passing. Upon the wall, an extract from For Síofra, penned 12 days before his death in August 2013, leaves a stirring impression: “I saw you years from now/ (More years than I’ll be allowed)/ Your toddler wobbles gone, A sure and grown woman.”

Upstairs, Heaney’s love of language is explored, as is his blithe use of local dialect. Crannog, ghosthood, throughother, glit, thrawn, fother, dailigone, mosscheepers, bog-burst. Here too, can be found the poet’s complete collection of thick Oxford English Dictionary volumes. A quote from an interview with Dennis O’Driscoll adorns the wall: “If you have the words, there’s always a chance that you’ll find the way.” These he had in abundance.

The broad themes which inspired his work, incorporating conflict, memories and places, are also discussed. A striking mosaic of imagery is peppered with language and, in the centre of this universe, the squat pen rests.

“Sometimes it begins with a theme, at other times with a form,” Heaney once noted. Throughout the entirety of the thoughtful traipse through HomePlace, the voice of Seamus Heaney can be summoned on request (via a handheld device), an omnipresent companion, to read extracts from his own work. The effect is enthralling.

McCormick notes: “It’s a living legacy and that’s something that we knew

would be very evocative for people. When you actually use the listening wands and you hear Seamus Heaney read those poems, people find it very emotional and very moving.

“We have a very strong team who ensure that everything which happens in this building reflects the ethos of the man himself. When we were developing this space we wanted to ensure that his work was at the core of everything we do here.”

In a reconstructed study room, containing several artefacts which once furnished his own personal space, is an illustration of poetry as an evolution in motion. Several drafts of The Schoolbag: in memoriam John Hewitt are laid bare. While, as a younger man, Heaney took great delight in the completion of a poem, with age he grew to appreciate the process of reflection and amendment. Though, he acknowledged, even imperfection has its allure.

McCormick concludes: “We’re very much in the initial stages at present, so we want to get ourselves settled and bedded in and to have our arts and education programmes established. I suppose from an ambition point of view, we want to see this building become a focal point for arts and literature, not just for local people, but on a national level throughout the island of Ireland, and on an international basis as well. We want visitors to come from near and far to immerse themselves in Seamus Heaney.”

Testing times for tourism

Identifying Brexit as the greatest challenge facing Irish tourism since the global recession in 2008, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITTC) has published a Call for Action document. Ciarán Galway meets with Chief Executive Eoghan O’Mara Walsh.

Opening the discussion, O’Mara Walsh outlines the ITIC’s rationale for producing its Brexit and Irish Tourism report. “If the UK economy does dip, the first thing people will cut for the sake of their pockets is travel and tourism – that second holiday, that city break or that trip over to see relatives in Ireland,” he asserts. From a Republic of Ireland perspective, around two in every five international visitors come from UK market; a massive proportion of the market.

Indeed, the latest CSO figures, which came out in late May, show that British visitors to the Republic of Ireland are down 10 per cent for the period February to April. “What this illustrates is that the tourist industry is not crying wolf over our Brexit concerns. The impact is real and materially felt. We think that urgent government action is needed to minimise this.”

Consequently, “We felt compelled to take a lead on it, analyse the implications and come up with what we thought would be good policy solutions so that we could in turn attempt to inform the Government and the Minister to pursue pro-tourism policies.”

All-island brand

O’Mara Walsh outlines that what is necessary for the tourism industry to succeed on the island of Ireland is “a seamless product and experience for the visitor, north, south, east and west”.

“The logic for this is that the international visitor perceives Ireland as a single island destination and doesn’t differentiate between the two jurisdictions. As such, it makes much more sense to market it as a single entity and we obviously have a lot of interaction with Tourism Ireland and northern tourism bodies,” he asserts.

“Tourism is the very definition of free movement of people so anything that impacts upon it, whether that be delays, additional costs or psychological barriers is negative. The all-island marketing of Ireland as a destination has worked very well. Brexit does complicate things, particularly if it is a hard Brexit accompanied by a hard border. Two thirds of the island remaining within the EU and one third existing outside of the EU will make things more difficult.”

Competition

One of the issues that may arise as a result of Brexit is the UK no longer being bound by EU regulations and standards. The UK could be free of state aid rules that currently apply to EU member states and could use this to their advantage and attract more tourists. However, the tourism industry leader emphasises:

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

“The two jurisdictions may enter into more direct competition, but in saying, international tourists generally don’t visit the North in isolation. More often they enter via Dublin or gravitate southwards. You have to remember that 80 per cent of international visitors who enter the North actually access it via Dublin airport.”

O’Mara Walsh stresses the potentially adverse impact of a hardened border as a by-product of Brexit. “If we have a border, if we have border checks, if we have delays, queues, attributed costs or any psychological barriers it simply will not be benign from a tourism perspective. That is something that we are anxious about. When the new UKEU deal is resolved, it is vital that the common travel area is maintained.”

Aviation

Furthermore, ITIC identifies aviation as one underappreciated complication which has emerged as a consequence of Brexit. Currently, the UK is part of the single market and therefore is part of the EU Open Skies Agreement and the single aviation market. “This means that EU airlines can fly between each other’s airspace without any difficulties. However, when the UK leaves the single market it also leaves the single aviation market which, in theory, means that UK airlines will not be able to fly into other EU countries and vice versa.

“I imagine, and we all hope, that it will be immediately resolved and a new agreement put in place to maintain the liberalised aviation access that we presently enjoy. It is too important. The consumer demands that aviation access is maintained between the UK and the EU.”

Diversification

In order to counter the threats posed to Irish tourism, O’Mara Walsh argues that more funding is required for the allisland marketing agency. “Tourism Ireland has had its budget slashed by over 40 per cent in the last seven years. That money needs to be restored to the budget so that it can be aggressively invested in new markets to ensure that we don’t have the dependency upon the UK that currently exists.”

Germany, he argues, is a classic example of an untapped market. “Germany has 80 million outbound trips

per year and is the largest travel market in Europe. It’s right on our doorstep and yet Ireland receives less than 1 per cent of that market. The type of diversification required doesn’t happen on its own. You need to create awareness of Ireland as a holiday destination and funding can facilitate that. That comes down to marketing and media spend. The product is very good, but equally we need help to acquire the tools required to maintain our competitiveness.

“The downturn in Tourism Ireland’s marketing funds over the last few years needs to be reversed immediately. That’s a call to the Dublin Government, but also the northern Executive that they must support the industry. It’s the biggest indigenous sector on the island with 220,000 employed in the South and a further 60,000 employed in the North. It cannot be offshored or outsourced and in terms of employment it’s bigger than both agriculture and construction.”

Competitiveness

In the current economic and political climate competitiveness is crucial, especially for an export industry like tourism. “For the island as a whole, investment should be made in terms of product and infrastructure. We need new attractions of scale and of interest. The North is developing a product or an experience of scale, so we will see what emerges. Having those hooks, both in terms of marketing and product is important if we want to sustain the industry,” maintains the ITIC CEO.

“In the North we saw how the likes of the Titanic Belfast project immediately created a destination driver for the city. Likewise, we need those new, exciting and compelling products of scale that appeal to international visitors to come onstream every few years. We cannot be complacent and assume that The Wild Atlantic Way or the Causeway coast is enough. We must consistently add to,

“What we need for tourism to succeed on the island of Ireland is a seamless product and experience for the visitor, north, south, east and west.”

improve and generally enrich our product.”

Some of the major factors which could facilitate enhanced competitiveness from a Northern Ireland perspective concern improved taxation for tourism. O’Mara Walsh highlights: “In the North the tourism VAT rate is currently at 20 per cent. Meanwhile, 17 out of 19 eurozone countries have VAT rates of 10 per cent or less for the tourism industry, so the North is way out of kilter.

“Simultaneously, with regards to Air Passenger Duty, for flights originating within Northern Ireland rates are set at £13/£26/£78 [reduced/standard/higher] for destinations within 2,000 miles of London and destinations over 2,000 miles from London which connect elsewhere beforehand. There is no equivalent in the Republic or elsewhere.”

Complacency

Due to the strong performance of the Irish tourism industry over recent years, the ITIC leader suggests that it is taken for granted to some degree. “The danger of such complacency is that tourism is extremely susceptible to external shocks. We are not solely in charge of our destiny in that respect. For example, in the past we had 9/11, SARS, foot and mouth, the volcanic ash cloud in 2010 and any of these random events can have a significant impact.

“Currently that external shock is Brexit.

Working collaboratively to accelerate the growth of tourism

enough to withstand the shock. In short, the tourism sector should be supported in a similar manner as is currently occurring in agri-food and other exportled sectors.”

Vision

O’Mara Walsh is emphatic in his suggestion that “the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive are not ambitious enough for tourism and do not realise the true potential that tourism has”. The ITIC, therefore, is coming up with a tourism strategy to 2025. “We think that the sector can double its earnings from the overseas market in that period if the right environment and context is established. This is not a matter of the tourism sector lining its pockets, it brings economic benefit to all parts of the island which other industries just cannot do.”

Optimism

But unlike the ash cloud that came and left after three weeks, Brexit is here to stay and there will be a long period of negotiation in the meantime. From our perspective, the Government hasn’t really acknowledged how important tourism is or how vulnerable it can be. Brexit or no Brexit, it should be doing more to support tourism.

“Tourism can’t be outsourced and it can bring jobs to parts of the country that no other industry, including agriculture, can reach. Likewise, FDI isn’t necessarily going to penetrate parts of south Down, west Donegal or rural Cork. Tourism can offer long-term, sustainable, year-round jobs, but it needs to be given the resources required to cultivate an environment within which businesses for flourish.”

Adequate response

In the interim, the ITIC has called for an immediate restoration of funding. “Within a Brexit context, we’ve said that a €12 million injection is required to enable us to consolidate our share of the Great Britain market and diversify into new markets. While this market may be falling within many countries, there’s no reason why it should fall more in Ireland.

“Likewise, any tourism businesses in the border counties, including hotels, restaurants, B&Bs and tourist attractions will see a downturn in trade as a result of Brexit. They need adequate enterprise support to ensure that they are robust

In the context of tourism as a growth segment worldwide the ITIC is optimistic. “People are getting wealthier worldwide and Dublin airport, for example, is likely to become a strategic hub between North America and the European bloc which means that a lot more airline access will come into Dublin, giving us an opportunity to sell Ireland, the whole island, as a holiday destination.

O’Mara Walsh summarises: “The North American market is going great, which is testament to the increased air access that we have and the fact that Ireland is so positively thought of in the States. We just have to be careful that we don’t become overdependent. The thing with the US is that a terror attack, an oil price shock or a dramatic change in dollar/sterling or dollar/euro exchange rate will have a significant impact upon US visitor numbers. They’re a great asset, we welcome them and we hope they come in an increased volume, but it’s vitally important that we diversify and attract business from other markets as well.

“Overall I’m ambitious and positive, and I think there’s a lot more potential to be realised given the right armoury. If you look at all the research around visitor attitudes, peoples’ experience of Ireland are very high, they’d recommend it to a friend, they’d come back and they find the country to be value for money. That’s something we should be proud of.”

Credit: William Murphy

Ambassador for growth

secured with the help of a local ambassador.

Toolan continues: “As a university city and home to world leading research centres, we owe much of our success to local ambassadors. Their commitment is invaluable in attracting conferences and Belfast Waterfront, in partnership with Visit Belfast, look forward to supporting many more ambassadors in the future.”

Becoming a Belfast Ambassador gives you the chance to develop your own career, increase your profile within your industry, establish new relationships, and showcase your work to your peers. Visit Belfast is on hand to support you every step of the way.

Conference tourism is big business in Belfast. In the last five years, Visit Belfast, with Belfast Waterfront and city partners, has attracted conferences bringing 135,000 delegates and generating £186 million to the economy. With the opening of Belfast Waterfront’s new 7,000m2 conference facility at the heart of the city’s proposition, business tourism can only continue to grow.

While this is undoubtedly down to an increasing portfolio of products and hard work by Belfast’s hospitality sector, what many don’t know is that some 79 per cent are secured with the help of a local ambassador.

Visit Belfast’s Ambassador Programme provides a framework where local professionals bid for conferences with the support of Visit Belfast. From agrifood to oncology, these experts in their fields have helped Belfast secure millions of pounds of business.

Gerry Lennon, Visit Belfast’s Chief Executive says: “Belfast has everything organisers need for a conference – easy, affordable access, a wide range of hotels and conference venues including the new Belfast Waterfront, and expertise and support from ourselves and funding partners Tourism NI and Belfast City Council.

“The Belfast Ambassador Programme enables us to work with local experts to bring national and international conferences here. Not only does this have economic benefits for the city, but it helps shine a light on the excellent work carried out here across many sectors like aerospace, cancer research and cyber-security.”

In 2016, with the extension to the Belfast Waterfront, conference tourism to Belfast took a big leap forward. Now capable of accommodating over 2,000 delegates, the venue has been a real game changer for Belfast.

Catherine Toolan, Managing Director of Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall Ltd, explains: “Our new conference, exhibition and entertainment facility boasts the perfect mix of clear-span space and break-out rooms that enable us to cater for a much wider range of large-scale events. In essence, the stateof-the-art facility has put Belfast back on the radar of many major global event planners. In our first year of opening we generated over 50,000 delegate nights, contributing a return of £21 million to the city. An impressive 76 per cent of the conferences last year were newcomers to our stunning riverside facility. ”

Since reopening, Belfast Waterfront has hosted a range of conferences including the Association of Surgeons in Great Britain and Ireland Annual International Surgical Congress, the British Orthopaedic Association Annual Congress and the 67th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science which collectively brought more than 4,000 delegates to the city – all

Norville Connolly, who brought the Bar Leaders Conference and Mid-Year Meeting to Belfast this year, says:

“Despite intense competition from other European cities, Belfast was chosen to host the 2017 conference. Attracting the largest number of international delegates for very many years, there was a great deal of satisfaction in Belfast as host city, Belfast Waterfront as the venue, and the many locations where social events took place, including Belfast City Hall.

“Visit Belfast provided top-class visitor information for the delegates and a wellresourced back-up service. Everyone played their part to bring this conference to Belfast and ensured it was a memorable success."

Interested in becoming a Belfast Ambassador? Contact Sheila Geary, Ambassador Programme Manager at Visit Belfast:

E: sheilageary@visitbelfast.com

T: 028 9023 9026