Northern Ireland To Host Tour Operators Event

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Northern Ireland to Host Annual Meeting for Inbound Tour Operators

Tourism NI has successfully bid to host the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for ITOA (Incoming Tour Operators Association) Council Members in January 2022 at the Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort - the first face to face ITOA AGM since 2020.

This annual meeting brings together the members of the association, who are Ireland based tour operators who package and promote to over 4,000 global travel trade partners and customers. This will be their first face to face AGM since 2020 and the bid to host this event has been made possible through the Tourism Recovery Action Plan.

Tourism NI work closely with ITOA to promote additional programming of Northern Ireland on the members’ itineraries and this year has already seen a range of sales and marketing activities designed to bring together ITOA members and local tourism businesses. Today (17 November) will see 104 tourism businesses from Northern Ireland engage in 2000 virtual appointments to promote their experience or property to ITOA members.

Tourism NI’s Business Solutions Executive Officer, Dawn Corrigan said:

“In 2019, ITOA members delivered over £500 million of business and 704,500 promotable visitors to the island of Ireland, making the association’s members a vital part of the growth of the tourism industry in Northern Ireland. International tourism business is a vital part of our tourism economy as it generates regional spread and encourages mid-week year-round spend which is highly valued by industry partners.”

She added: “We want to continue to provide this platform for our tourism providers so they can tap into a global distribution which allows them to promote and sell their business as well as Northern Ireland to key oversea markets. This will be the third time that the prestigious AGM has been held in Northern Ireland and we look forward to welcoming ITOA council members in the new year.”

ITOA President, Rob Rankin said:

“We are really delighted to have our first in person AGM meeting and members gathering in Northern Ireland and Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort to look forward to in January 2022. Our AGM is an important event in ITOA’s calendar as it provides the opportunity for members to spend time meeting and experiencing the destination that we are located. Tourism Northern Ireland’s ongoing support and engagement with ITOA and our members, in providing important networking opportunities like our workshops has been really important. It ensures that Northern Ireland remains high on our members radar to promote to our existing overseas partners and positions the destination to capitalise on expected recovery in 2022”.

Tourism NI has successfully bid to host the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for ITOA (Incoming Tour Operators Association) Council Members in January 2022 at the Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort. Pictured outside the Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort (L-r) are Beth Greenan, Group Sales Manager at Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort, Nuala Saul, ITOA Executive Member, Dawn Corrigan, Tourism NI’s Business Solutions Executive Officer and Maurice Johnston, Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort.

EyeonNews

21/10/2021 15:15

Cairnryan Port move delivers record volumes for Stena Line

This month, Stena Line will mark the 10th anniversary of the opening of its Loch Ryan Port facility at Cairnryan and the introduction of two new Superfast vessels which heralded the start of its then new Belfast to Cairnryan service back in 2011.

Over the last decade, the service between Belfast and Cairnryan has continued to grow and this year, despite the combined challenges of Brexit and Covid, will see the route deliver record breaking car and freight volumes in 2021.

“The sea link between Northern Ireland and Scotland has always been a vital tourism and trade gateway,” said Stena Line’s Trade Director Paul Grant.

“Our decision to move from our old port at Stranraer in 2011 was based on a number of factors including the ability to introduce significantly larger vessels to service the growing demand between both countries.

“So not only did we invest in building a brand-new port at Cairnryan, but we also introduced two new Superfast vessels, the largest vessels ever to service the route, in a £250m investment programme,” he added.

“Ten years on I’m delighted to say that our commitment to the route has been justified with record volumes in what has been an extremely tough Brexit and Covid impacted trading year. Our Superfast vessels have an excellent reliability and punctuality record which has provided a solid platform for us to grow our business over the last decade.”

Paul Grant concluded: “The success we have delivered over the last decade has been achieved despite the lack of government investment in the roads system servicing Loch Ryan. The A75 and A77 are vitally important arterial routes which still are not fit for purpose for one of the UK’s largest gateways. Northern Ireland’s connectivity to its main market is being hampered so we would urge the Governments on both sides for investment in these muchneeded infrastructure upgrades.

“Looking forward we are optimistic about the future but the reliable and high-quality ferry service we have provided needs to be supported and enhanced by a 21st century road network that well enabling better connectivity between both countries.”

Over the last 10 years, the Belfast-Cairnryan service has delivered a series of impressive performance statistics including:

Stena Line Superfast VIII OSS crew Caitlan Nicholl (left) and Morgan Cowan (right) joined Paul Grant (Trade Director) and Senior Master Steve Millar onboard the Bridge of Superfast VIII to mark the 10th anniversary of Stena Line’s move to Cairnryan Port

Pictured at the Countdown to Growth Conference in Belfast are (from left) Vicky Davies of Danske Bank; Maeve Hunt of Chartered Accountants Ulster Society and Zara Duffy of Chartered Accountants Ireland.

11.1 million passengers 1.9 million freight units 1.6 million nautical miles travelled 2.6 million cars

40,747 number of sailings 98% of sailings on time

Business Leaders examine opportunity for post-pandemic growth in Northern Ireland

Local business leaders have been looking beyond the current COVID-19 health crisis to examine the opportunities for growth for Northern Ireland.

The Countdown to Growth Hybrid Conference, organised by Chartered Accountants Ulster Society in partnership with Danske Bank, considered the key factors for growth as business adapts to a post-pandemic future.

The conference featured leading international and local speakers in areas such as digital transformation, sustainability, as well as a panel of local business leaders outlining how disruption has changed their strategic approach.

Delivering a keynote speech at the hybrid event was Terence Mauri, author and Mentor in Residence at MIT and London Business School. Regarded as an influential and outspoken expert on the future of leadership, he outlined that businesses are looking for a future that is “growth-led, resilient, sustainable and should aim to harness disruption as a tailwind for renewal and re-imagination.”

Other speakers at the event, running at ICC Belfast and simultaneously online included leadership and communication expert Andrew Toogood; sustainability expert Dr Cera Slevin; and tax expert Alan Gourley. The event drew on the experiences and forward plans of local companies including Veriteer, Finnebrogue, Galgorm Collection and Danske Bank.

Speaking at the Countdown to Growth Conference, Maeve Hunt, Chairperson of Chartered Accountants Ulster Society said: “It’s been a really testing couple of years for local businesses. We’ve heard a lot about recovery over the last number of months, and in the meantime, businesses have been getting on with it.

“Today we looked beyond the pandemic and past the immediate recovery. We found some genuine reasons to be positive about growth in the postpandemic future. The Conference examined how the world of business is set to change, the increasing pace of that change and the key factors for growth for local business.

“I would like to thank Danske Bank for their sponsorship of this Conference. I believe that together we’ve been able to highlight some of the positive factors in our post-pandemic future that can provide some real growth, jobs and prosperity for everyone in our community.”