Titanic Belfast Celebrates

Titanic Belfast Celebrates a Decade of Success

TITANIC BELFAST Since launching in March 2012, there is no doubt Titanic Belfast has played a key role in the resurgence of tourism not only for Belfast and Northern Ireland but for the island of Ireland as a whole. The world-leading attraction is firmly established on the local, national and international stage, with 82% of visitors coming from outside NI, and as the industry looks to rebuild post-Covid, it will undoubtedly continue to act as a catalyst for regrowth of the sector.

31 March 2022 marked an important milestone for the attraction as Titanic Belfast celebrated its tenth birthday. Looking back on ten years of success, we chat to CEO Judith Owens MBE.

Judith, congratulations on ten years of Titanic Belfast! Can you tell us more about the impact Titanic Belfast has had?

Thank you, we are absolutely delighted to reach this milestone anniversary! We opened in 2012 with the aim of establishing Titanic Belfast as the home of RMS Titanic, celebrating the city’s maritime and industrial heritage, and showing the spirit that built Titanic remains today. Over the last ten years, as the guardians of Titanic’s story, we are thrilled to have accomplished this, having welcomed almost 6.5 million visitors from over 145 different countries and hosted over 3,000 business and leisure events – achievements we are all extremely proud of. In the ten years since opening, we have also contributed a £430 million additional visitor spend to the Northern Ireland economy and inspired £60 million of wider heritage preservation across Titanic Quarter, where it has been wonderful to see such development over the last decade too, and I can’t help but feel Titanic Belfast has been an integral factor in this. Not to be overlooked, over the years our building has come to represent the giant spirit of the people of Northern Ireland; most recently having been featured in the opening sequence of Kenneth Branagh’s Oscar-nominated film, ‘Belfast’ – a testament to just how iconic Titanic Belfast has become as a beacon for the city.

Can you tell us about a personal highlight of yours over the past ten years?

A personal highlight for me was winning World’s Leading Tourist Attraction at the World Travel Awards. This is the travel industry’s most prestigious awards programme and to win overall attraction of the year was certainly an honour. The success of Titanic Belfast is due to the commitment and drive of our brilliant team, and awards like this are testament to that. We are so proud of all we have collectively achieved over the last decade; it’s wonderful to have so much to celebrate!

Did Titanic Belfast do anything special to celebrate the occasion?

We marked the birthday weekend itself with lots of exciting events and family fun and have a free photography exhibition, The People Who Built Titanic Belfast, running in The Andrews Gallery showcasing never before seen photos and documenting the immense feat of designing and building Titanic Belfast. We feel it’s important to share our achievements with all the people that made them possible, as well as with the visitors, both local and international, who help make our business a success and so are encouraging everyone to get involved throughout our tenth year to celebrate with us across the Maritime Mile – it’s set to be a fantastic celebratory year for all!

Looking ahead, what does the future hold for Titanic Belfast?

Like everyone in the industry we have had a challenging few years throughout the pandemic, but are very much looking forward to welcoming the return of international visitors and equally look forward to welcoming old and new friends who live close by. We do not rest on our laurels and are determined to build on the success of our first decade by continuing to push boundaries and stay at the forefront of the industry, delivering a world-class experience that will continue to drive visitors to Belfast and Northern Ireland.

We have lots of exciting plans for the next decade and we look forward to unveiling them in the very near future. Watch this space!

“Like everyone in the industry we have had a challenging few years throughout the pandemic, but are very much looking forward to welcoming the return of international visitors and equally look forward to welcoming old and new friends who live close by.”

CEO, Judith Owens MBE.