Minister urges tourism industry to be visitor inspired

Tourism Minister Arlene Foster has outlined the importance of listening to the needs of visitors if tourism in Northern Ireland is to succeed and grow.

The Minister was speaking at the 5th annual Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) Visitor Servicing Conference at La Mon House Hotel in Belfast.

The theme of the conference was ‘Be Visitor Inspired’ and around 130 delegates from across the tourism industry attended, representing tourist attractions, local authorities, tourist information centres and the education sector.

Opening the conference, Arlene Foster said: “It has been a challenging year for tourism worldwide, with global economic uncertainty resulting in a fall in numbers, yet we have achieved a great deal with many new initiatives underway.

“Opportunities remain in our closer to home markets and there have been some very encouraging statistics. Estimates for 2009 show that visitors from the Republic of Ireland have increased by 39% compared to the previous year.

“This is very encouraging news for us. Not only did these visitors choose Northern Ireland because of the value for money on offer here, but also because they will be spoilt for choice in terms of places to visit and things to see and do. It is evidence that visitors are coming here in greater numbers, staying for longer, spending more and discovering for themselves what a unique destination Northern Ireland is.”

The Minister also highlighted exciting times ahead for tourism in Northern Ireland. She said: “Northern Ireland’s tourism package is continually growing. In 2009 we saw the completion of the spectacular Ulster Museum and Saint Patrick’s Trail. Work is progressing on a new Lyric theatre and plans are underway for a new world class visitor centre at the Giant’s Causeway.

“The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are a unique opportunity to make Northern Ireland a destination of choice for visitors. The Titanic Signature Project and the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre are due to come to fruition in 2012, along with the 400th Anniversary of the Plantation of Ulster, and we must work together to maximize the opportunities that exist."

The Minister concluded: “It’s an exciting time for tourism here but fulfilling our potential as a leading edge destination is our collective responsibility – everyone has a role to play. I urge the industry to focus on further enhancing the visitor experience by listening to the needs of our visitors and becoming visitor inspired.”

The event attracted guest speakers such as Tom Hall, editor of The Lonely Planet and Adam Bates from Visit Brighton. Delegates also listened to a personal interview with one of Northern Ireland’s international ambassadors, Dame Mary Peters.

Notes to editors:

1. Conference speakers were:

Tom Hall, Lonely Planet

Tom Hall is Travel Editor at Lonely Planet and the writer of the weekly Ask Tom feature in The Observer travel section. Tom also contributes to a host of other magazines and newspapers in the UK, Ireland and Europe. Tom is a regular commentator on travel news and events in the media, including BBC Breakfast, Radio One, Sky News, CNN and Six Music. He is editor of the forthcoming Lonely Planet’s Best Ever Travel Tips as well as contributing to guidebooks and custom print books. Tom is a contributing editor for the Lonely Planet’s website where he writes blogs and podcasts.

Adam Bates, Marketing Director, Visit Brighton

Adam is currently Head of Tourism and Venues, running Visit Brighton within Brighton & Hove City Council since 2003 and the Brighton Centre and Hove Centre, the city’s main purpose built conference venues since 2009. Between 2007 - 2009 he was also Head of Economic Development for Brighton & Hove City Council. From 1995 to 2003 he worked at VisitBritain where he was most recently Head of Business Tourism. Adam has worked in tourism since the mid 80s with stints at Disneyland Paris and Marriott Hotels among others.

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