The first formal meeting of the new Tourism Strategy Forum, set up to ensure a co-ordinated and shared approach between the public and private sectors, has taken place in Belfast.

The Forum will provide a structure to bring about a joined up government and industry approach to enable tourism in Northern Ireland to realise its full potential. Membership of the Forum includes the principal tourism players from the public and private sectors.

Commenting on the meeting which he chaired, Bruce Robinson, Permanent Secretary of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment said: “I believe that the work of this forum is a fundamental element in taking forward the tourism industry in Northern Ireland to a prosperous future."

The Tourism Forum aims to develop a number of issues, including:

• Information - to significantly improve the amount and quality of information available to the tourism industry, its customers and the Northern Ireland population.
• Improved Access - to improve access to Northern Ireland from the main existing and potential source areas, the quality of points of entry and internal access for visitors.
• High Quality - to ensure that tourism offers high quality experience and services to its customers.
• Co-ordinated Marketing - to encourage the co-ordinated marketing of Northern Ireland as a distinct destination to an agreed set of target markets.
• A Distinctive Product - to develop and promote a distinctive Northern Ireland tourism product that is market-led, sustainable and effectively packaged.

The Forum was attended by representatives from DETI, DARD, DCAL, Tourism Ireland and NITB as well as a variety of representatives from tourism related bodies.

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