30 | THE LOCAL TOURIST
www.nitravelnews.com
New Ferry Operator Confirmed for Rathlin Island
NI Market Named Best Large Indoor Market in the UK
TRADERS at St George’s Market were in jubilant form after the market was named Best Large Indoor Market in the UK. St George’s scooped top honours in The
Great British Market Awards, beating off stiff competition from 20 other UK markets. Judges described St George’s as a “national treasure”, and “a destination point playing a fundamental role in uniting communities”. In awarding the much-coveted title, judges paid tribute to the market team for “consistently seeking and driving change and improvement”. A recent market research survey revealed
66% of St George’s visitors cited our market as their main reason for being in the city, with 15% travelling from out-of-state. It welcomes more than one million people each year and generates an estimated £40.9 million for the local economy. St George’s – which is now home to more
than 500 traders over the weekend – dates back to 1896 but there has been a Friday market on the historic site since 1604.
THE Department for Infrastructure has announced that Dunaverty Limited will be the new ferry operator on the Rathlin Island to Ballycastle route. This development follows several weeks of engagement between the Department for Infrastructure and Rathlin Island Ferry Limited in relation to matters arising from the contract between them, including the financial position of the ferry company. The Department received notification from the company that it is to cease trading with immediate effect.
Recognising the importance of the
ferry service for the local community, the Department has been taking forward work on potential contingency arrangements with the expectation that these could be implemented urgently.
Roe Park Resort Invests £1.7M Towards Hotel Refurbishment
THE Roe Park Resort in Limavady have announced an investment of £1.7m to rejuvenate areas of the luxury hotel.
This 1.7m investment will upgrade specific areas of the hotel, including the wedding and events space and the 118 bedrooms at the Limavady property. Money will also be directed into upgrading the hotel’s technology and investing into solar panels.
Get Ready To See More At The Reimagined Titanic Experience
TITANIC Belfast will reopen on Saturday 4th March with four exciting new themed galleries. The
reimagined Titanic Experience
introduces The Pursuit of Dreams as a new theme and will use immersive technology combined with the authentic Titanic Story in its refreshed spaces called Never Again; Ballard’s Quest; The Ship of Dreams and The Lasting Legacy. Guests will delve deeper into a reflective journey of the hopes and dreams of those impacted by the iconic ship, giving people the chance to find out more about the lives and stories of the passengers who had dreams of starting a new life in America, as well as those who built the ship in Belfast and those who discovered her wreck.
The world-leading visitor attraction has now revealed details of one of the centrepieces of the new experience – an illuminated 7.6m long scale model of RMS Titanic. The new model will be illuminated, and suspended from the ceiling it will fully rotate, taking approximately 90 seconds to complete, promising to provide a true wow- factor for visitors. It is replicated on a 1:35 scale and boasts
some of the main features of the iconic ship including the lifeboats, propellers, engine, cranes, bridge, main staircase and chimneys. Fitted with 300 metres of LED lights that are programmed to highlight different areas of the ship in line with the stories being told.
£330,000 of the £1.7m investment will go towards re- designing Roe Park Resort’s main func- tion suite, The Dan- ny Boy Suite. Once the refurbishment is complete, capac- ity of the Danny Boy Suite will have doubled to accom- modate 300 guests. The refurbishment will also add a new bar area along with a private entrance. £0.5m will be as-
signed to refurbishing the 118 luxury bedrooms at the property. The prop- erty also intends to adapt the 18th century gate house into self-catering luxury accommodation.
£140,000 of the investment is also dedicated towards upgrading tech- nology, such as Wi-fi, and the hotel’s operating systems. Following the upgrade, the Roe Park Resort will become one of the only hotels in Northern Ireland to be powered by renewable energy as £250,000 is set to be invested in solar panels and solar energy.
The Roe Park Resort General Man-
ager, George Graham commented, “We have seen continued growth in our wedding business, and we are delighted that this investment has further enhanced our facilities to allow us to cater for weddings and events of all sizes, providing a unique and personal experience for our new- ly-weds and their guests.” “The expansion of the Danny Boy Suite also makes the Roe Park Resort one of the only venues in this area that can host larger scale events such as corporate dinners, exhibitions, and large social events. Graham further added, “As we look ahead to 2023 and beyond, we have plans to continually invest in all aspects of the resort to make sure our guests receive a luxurious and relaxing experience when they visit the Roe Park Resort.”
The new operator commenced services from Friday 13 January 2023 with a passenger only vessel running five return sailings a day.
Once all the relevant
approvals are in place with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the full scheduled timetable of sailings will commence including the Department’s vehicle carrying vessel, the Spirit of Rathlin. Charles Stewart from Dunaverty Limited who also owns and operates Kintra Tours commented: “I am delighted to have been awarded the contract to operate the ferry service between Rathlin Island and Ballycastle and look forward to working with the Department, the existing workforce and the local community to continue to develop and grow this lifeline service.”
February 2023
NEW BOUTIQUE GUEST HOUSE IS ROYAL
HILLSBOROUGH’S LATEST TOURISM OFFERING
A NEW boutique guest house, Arthur’s, officially opened its doors on Thursday January
26th. Situated in an elegant
Georgian building on Main Street, Arthur’s is the latest tourism offering to Royal Hillsborough and is set to attract visitors far and wide. The accommodation features 12 individually curated rooms, each of which blends history, antiques and charm. Each room has been specifically themed in homage to famous local resident, the Marquess of Downshire. The official launch event was attended
by Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council representatives and participants from across Northern Ireland’s tourism industry who are involved in the council’s ‘Royal Hillsborough and Historic Moira’ programme. Launched in summer 2021, the programme has, to date, seen over 40 local businesses collaborate to boost the local tourism and hospitality economy within these areas.
THE Premier Inn in Coleraine is set to undergo a %500k transformation following its acquisition by Andras Hotels, the group behind some of Belfast’s top hotels.
WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre Reopens Following Recent Closure
WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre in Comber Co Down is now welcoming back visitors following a temporary closure due to a confirmed case of Avian Influenza.
The centre closed its doors in October 2022 following The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) guidelines and has worked in partnership with DAERA to take measures to protect the birds at the centre.
In order to continue to protect
the birds in their care, the resident collection bird section of the site will be temporarily closed with a new visitor path
providing access to the rest of the reserve site. The cafe and shop are open as usual as are the sensory garden, art gallery and wildwood play. Visitors will have access to the nature reserve with woodland walks,
and the wonderful mosaic of wetland
habits
bird hides which
our
precious native wetland wildlife call home. Families will enjoy the
events for February midterm break including:
‘The Big
Hide Out’ featuring bird box building and birdwatching, make a birdfeeder with a recycled plastic bottle,
make a mini-beast motel, plant a sunflower seed and take a mini-beast hunt.
10-Year Development of Bangor’s Waterfront To
Begin as Funding Secured AS a part of the Belfast Region City Deal, Ards and North Down Borough Council will receive £40 million in funding for the Development of Bangor’s Waterfront. Back in December 2021, UK and NI Executive Ministers signed the first ever City Deal for Northern Ireland. This Belfast Region City Deal unlocks £1 billion of co-investment which will deliver more than 20 projects and programmes. The Belfast Region City Deal also will create up to 20,000 new jobs and make Belfast a destination for global investment over the course of the next decade. The Bangor Waterfront Redevelopment constitutes an investment of circa £73 million in a 2-mile stretch of the city’s coastline. This redevelopment will connect the city to the sea through a range of sustainable, world-class visitor and leisure attractions/experiences. £40 Million of this investment has been secured by Ards and North Down Council meaning that work to redevelop Bangor’s Waterfront can begin. This £40 million development of Bangor’s
Waterfront will be delivered over a ten-year period. Plans are put in place to regenerate
already existing areas such as Bangor’s 5 Gold Anchor Marina, Pickie FunPark. This investment will also be dedicated towards the improvement of other public spaces throughout Bangor.
Particular focus has also been applied
to plans to develop a ‘Phase 2’ to the Court House Music Venue which recently opened in Bangor. These plans include the development of new event and performance spaces. Plans are also in place to create an international waterspouts facility at a new-look Ballyholme Yacht Club and Watersports facility. The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Karen Douglas, commented on the redevelopment. “This is a significant milestone to an exciting new future
for
the City of Bangor. As the programme of works rolls out over the next 10 years, this redevelopment of the waterfront will bring benefits and opportunities to residents, businesses, and to the wider Borough as a whole.”
Douglas further added that, “I am very
much looking forward to seeing Bangor firmly back on the map as a place to live, work and visit.”
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