3. Current Situation Analysis 3.1
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council: Regional and Local Context
Antrim and Newtownabbey stretches 274 square miles (710 km2) from the lower River Bann and Lough Neagh to the shores of Belfast Lough at Jordanstown. It is strategically positioned in a geographical context to take full advantage of key transport hubs as visitor gateways into Northern Ireland. Antrim and Newtownabbey locates one of Northern Ireland’s five visitor gateways at Belfast International Airport. A second gateway at the Port of Belfast is just two miles from the Borough’s boundary on Belfast Lough. In 2016, Belfast International Airport handled approximately 5.1 million passengers, whilst the Port of Belfast handled 1.38 million passengers. The Port of Larne, located approximately 19 kilometres to the north-east of the Borough, handles over 0.6million passengers per year. Antrim and Newtownabbey is located between two of Northern Ireland’s most significant key tourism destination areas, namely Belfast and the Causeway Coast and Glens. These areas, together with the accessibility provided by public transport hubs and corridors, means that existing tourism assets can contribute to a more sustainable form of tourism for Antrim and Newtownabbey, through route development.
Figure 1: Location of Antrim and Newtownabbey
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council: Tourism Strategy 2017-2022
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