Foster Announces 2013 NI Tourism Drive

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has said the New Year will provide increased opportunities for tourism in Northern Ireland.

"A major programme of promotional activity is being planned around Londonderry as the UK City of Culture, and this will allow Tourism Ireland to put the city, and Northern Ireland, on the map in a completely new way," she said.

"Tourism Ireland aims to attract more visitors from overseas with a focus on the City of Culture events, the World Police and Fire Games and the worldwide publicity that will undoubtedly be generated by the recent announcement that the G8 summit is to be held in Fermanagh."

The Minister played down recent figures which showed a drop in tourists, saying: “we have much to be optimistic about. Titanic Belfast smashed its visitor targets, with 615,000 people passing through the doors to date.

"Visitors came from 111 countries, with a ratio of 64% out of state. A Belfast Visitor and Convention survey showed a 14.1% rise in visitors coming to the city, with a 21.7% increase in people coming to the city from the Republic of Ireland.

"The new Giants’ Causeway visitor centre has already welcomed over 300,000 visitors from 130 countries since its opening in July."

Welcoming Tourism Ireland’s new strategy to grow the GB market, Arlene Foster said: "The current economic situation means fresh thinking is required if we are to tempt GB visitors to come to Northern Ireland. In its new strategy ‘GB Path To Growth’, Tourism Ireland will target specific market segments from the young, urban adventurer to the over 45s who want to explore the landscapes, history and culture we have on offer."

Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, Niall Gibbons, said: "Next year is about delivering growth in the continuing difficult climate. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the pace of economic recovery in our key source markets, we believe that 2013 will see an increase in visitor numbers."

(IT)