Northern Ireland is a "distinctive cultural experience" for American visitors to these shores.

The reconstructed Erne-Shannon Waterway (pictured by Brian McCalden) is just one past example of a major infrastructure project that has successfully aided the tourist offering.

Now, Stormont Tourism Minister, Arlene Foster has cited a number of large scale construction developments that are due to open this year as evidence that NI continues to become an attractive destination for international travellers.

Ms Foster was speaking at a Tourism Ireland event in the San Francisco this week, to an audience of key travel trade and media contacts, as part of a four-day visit to encourage investment and promote Northern Ireland tourism.

Addressing tourism industry representatives at the event, Arlene Foster said: "The US is a very important tourism market for Northern Ireland.

"Tourism Ireland is working closely with its industry partners, at home and here in the US, to deliver growth in visitors this year.

"A comprehensive promotional programme is in place in the US for 2010, with a range of extensive campaigns providing compelling reasons to visit Northern Ireland."

She continued: "2012 will be a landmark year for Northern Ireland, when a number of new tourism attractions will open, showcasing Northern Ireland to the rest of the world."

She highlighted projects such as the Titanic Signature Project and the Causeway Coast and Glens Signature Project as "exciting opportunities to create state-of-the-art facilities and provide a world-class tourism offerings".

(NS/BMcC)