Tourism NI
Tourism in Northern Ireland and the Northern Irish Tourist Board
Historically, conflict in Northern Ireland has prevented the growth of the Northern Irish tourism industry. In 1972, in the midst of “the troubles”, revenue generated by tourism was estimated to be around £8.64 million with just under 440000 trips being made to Belfast that year (See table 1). Fast forward thirty eight years to 2010, where 3.164 million tourists have paid a visit to Northern Ireland (NIbusinessinfo.co.uk), and it is clear to see that the reduction in conflict along with developments in transport and investments in tourist attractions have allowed tourism to grow dramatically over a relatively short period of time. This sector of the Northern Irish economy has continued to grow into 2013 and revenue generated annually is estimated to reach 1 billion by 2020 (NIbusinessinco.co.uk). With the UK economy struggling to recover from a severe recession, this is one of the few industries that have proven their strength during difficult times.
The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) along with the National Trust are two corporations which are largely responsible for investment and maintenance of tourist attractions within Belfast. The National trust is a British organisation that spans across the UK and is generally associated with the promotion and preservation of areas of land which are of interest to tourists such as Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway, whereas NITB are largely involved in the development of tourist attractions such as the Titanic Centre recently built in Belfast of which they own 50%.
The tourism industry within Northern Ireland relies heavily on one key player – The Northern Ireland Tourist Board. NITB are responsible for promoting, developing and investing in tourist attractions within Northern Ireland. They are a one-of-a-kind firm within the Northern Irish Economy and it is for this reason that the Northern Irish tourism market leans predominantly toward the
Historically, conflict in Northern Ireland has prevented the growth of the Northern Irish tourism industry. In 1972, in the midst of “the troubles”, revenue generated by tourism was estimated to be around £8.64 million with just under 440000 trips being made to Belfast that year (See table 1). Fast forward thirty eight years to 2010, where 3.164 million tourists have paid a visit to Northern Ireland (NIbusinessinfo.co.uk), and it is clear to see that the reduction in conflict along with developments in transport and investments in tourist attractions have allowed tourism to grow dramatically over a relatively short period of time. This sector of the Northern Irish economy has continued to grow into 2013 and revenue generated annually is estimated to reach 1 billion by 2020 (NIbusinessinco.co.uk). With the UK economy struggling to recover from a severe recession, this is one of the few industries that have proven their strength during difficult times.
The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) along with the National Trust are two corporations which are largely responsible for investment and maintenance of tourist attractions within Belfast. The National trust is a British organisation that spans across the UK and is generally associated with the promotion and preservation of areas of land which are of interest to tourists such as Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway, whereas NITB are largely involved in the development of tourist attractions such as the Titanic Centre recently built in Belfast of which they own 50%.
The tourism industry within Northern Ireland relies heavily on one key player – The Northern Ireland Tourist Board. NITB are responsible for promoting, developing and investing in tourist attractions within Northern Ireland. They are a one-of-a-kind firm within the Northern Irish Economy and it is for this reason that the Northern Irish tourism market leans predominantly toward the
Bibliography: Table NI-TOU-01: Visitor trips (number) to Northern Ireland, nights spent (number), and revenue generated (£million), 1963, 1967, 1972, and 1988 to 2001 Year