Economic system Minister Gordon Lyons in the present day highlighted how a further £2.85m in funding will strengthen, promote and market Northern Eire as a key tourism and enterprise vacation spot.
Economic system Minister Gordon Lyons is pictured with Belfast Worldwide Airport Managing Director Graham Keddie, and Ainsley McWilliams, Tourism NI, on the just lately revamped home arrivals hall at Belfast Worldwide Airport.
The funding package deal, which might be delivered by Tourism NI, is geared toward serving to the sector enhance its advertising and gross sales actions through the autumn and winter seasons. A spotlight of it is going to be to boost the gateway presence at our native airports and assist key journey tour operators. It can additionally present extra advertising and enterprise occasions branding and is designed to enhance the shopper expertise and to develop Northern Eire’s international model as a key vacation spot for company and worldwide tour operators.
Following a go to to Belfast Worldwide Airport, who just lately obtained funding to revamp its home arrivals hall, Minister Lyons mentioned:
“This £2.85m funding will additional assist the sector to market Northern Eire as a key international vacation spot for tourism and enterprise travellers. The newest tourism trade statistics obtainable level to a optimistic return to progress and endorse my dedication to safe the tourism trade again to pre-pandemic heights.
“This funding will additional allow tourism companies and sights to faucet into the North American tour operator market, generate gross sales and promoting campaigns to each native and international markets and to additionally promote Northern Eire internationally as a key vacation spot for enterprise and company occasions.”
Turning to how Belfast Worldwide Airport has been supported, the Minister continued
“The wide-ranging package deal of funding has allowed companies reminiscent of Belfast Worldwide Airport (BIA) to pivot and reply to trade challenges and adjustments. BIA is experiencing elevated air passenger numbers because of funding into its advertising exercise and creating its buyer expertise. Over 500,000 extra passengers travelled by the airport in August (2022) in comparison with the identical time final yr.
“This extra funding additionally builds upon a £75,000 package deal BIA gained in 2021 by my Division’s Financial Restoration Motion Plan. This funding improved the air passenger expertise all through the airport and embedded ‘Embrace a Big Spirit’ branding inside worldwide and home arrivals areas.”
Explaining the significance of extra advertising assist to the sector, Tourism NI Chief Government John McGrillen, mentioned:
“The funding that Tourism NI is constant to make to spice up restoration efforts within the home and Republic of Eire markets is bearing fruit and it’s essential that we proceed to have a excessive profile presence to assist our tourism and hospitality sector. Our summer season marketing campaign within the home market resulted in 165,000 instantly attributable visits which included brief break, vacation and day-trips which had been price £16.76 million to the native financial system. A latest survey confirmed that our summer season promoting marketing campaign within the Republic of Eire generated £45.28 million for the native financial system and a major return on funding for each pound spent.”
In closing Minister Lyons mentioned:
“I need a tourism trade that may meet the challenges of being extra sustainable, inclusive and revolutionary into the longer term. Tourism has a central function to play in my division’s 10x Financial imaginative and prescient of creating Northern Eire as one of many small elite economies on the planet and I’m dedicated to delivering on that imaginative and prescient.”
Notes to editors:
1. Photograph caption: Economic system Minister Gordon Lyons is pictured with Belfast Worldwide Airport Managing Director Graham Keddie, and Ainsley McWilliams, Tourism NI, on the just lately revamped home arrivals hall at Belfast Worldwide Airport.
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