New Visitor Pledge For Safe And Responsible Tourism

A new visitor pledge to encourage safe and responsible tourism across Northern Ireland while supporting local businesses has been launched by Economy Minister Diane Dodds.

Hosted on the Discover Northern Ireland website, visitors are asked to show their support by signing up to the pledge and committing to the three core guidelines: Take Care of Each Other, Take Care of the Land, and Take Care of Local Businesses.

By taking the pledge, visitors are promising to take small steps that will make a giant difference to how we all enjoy and benefit from the many tourism experiences, local businesses and great outdoors across Northern Ireland.

Visitors are being asked to look out for each other by acting safely, to take care of the beautiful landscape by leaving no trace, and to show support for local businesses and the safety procedures they have in place.

The pledge also provides industry with assets to promote both in their business premises and online to encourage visitors to follow the guidelines.

Commenting on the visitor pledge Economy Minister Diane Dodds said: "These are challenging times for businesses so we welcome initiatives like the visitor pledge that encourages people to safely enjoy all that Northern Ireland has to offer. With the visitor pledge, we can all play a vital role in promoting safe and responsible tourism by committing to take care of each other, our beautiful outdoors and local businesses."

Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots, added: "Northern Ireland has wonderful landscapes for all to enjoy, from our mountains to our seas and from our forests to our beaches. Our landscapes support local foods and local businesses and play a vital role in our tourism and for our communities health and wellbeing. We all must play our part in looking after these assets. Taking part in the visitor pledge will help to support local businesses and will help ensure that our environment remains clean, safe and vibrant for all users."

Director of Marketing at Tourism Northern Ireland Naomi Waite added: "The launch of the visitor pledge will help to boost consumer confidence by setting out simple steps that we can all take together to make a difference. Whether it is social distancing, cleaning up litter after enjoying the outdoors or shopping local, I encourage all residents to take the pledge to support local businesses and our local environment.

"This has been a challenging time for the tourism industry in Northern Ireland, but our local businesses, our unique tourism and experience providers are ready to offer their giant welcome again. This is a fantastic way for people to show their support. It is important of all of us to play our part in protecting each other and embracing all that Northern Ireland has to offer in a safe way."

The website asks visitors to sign their name online to take the pledge and share with friends and family via their social media channels.

To learn more about the visitor pledge and to sign up go to Tourism NI.