September/October 2023


www.nitravelnews.com


THE LOCAL TOURIST | 55 During 2022, 62% of annual weeks were sold


to visitors from outside of Northern Ireland. Tis is compared to 69% in 2019, reflecting the downturn of out of state visitors. During 2022 the percentage of annual weeks


sold to Republic of Ireland visitors was 10%, a 2 percentage point increase, compared to pre- pandemic levels. Te number of weeks sold


to Northern


Ireland residents increased from 31% in 2019 to 38% in 2022. Excluding country parks, parks, forests and


NI Tourism Shows Earlier than Anticipated Recovery Signs


pumped water up to the house, and the Grand Yard, which housed the stables and carriage houses. This and the neighbouring yards contained a dairy, laundry house,


candle factory, stables and the servants’ accommodation. Castle Coole is also a designated Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) due to its rich parkland habitat and associated species. In places where the tree canopy is denser, woodland flora has developed and you can spot species such as the wood anemone, bluebell, pignut, primrose, lords-and-ladies and the notable bird’s nest orchid. The wetland vegetation fringing Lough Coole provides even more diversity with species such as the common reed and water horsetail. The wet grassland supports a range of plants including quaking grass, carnation sedge,


devil’s-bit scabious and meadow vetchling.


Our little boy has a particular love of the outdoors, and although he is more used to the beach, with our home being on the coast, he did enjoy discovering the different flowers on the trail, collecting fallen leaves and poking the small pebbles on the trail with a fallen stick... sword then forgotten and being carried by dad!


That evening we made use of the Studio’s kitchen, whipping up a pasta feast complete with profiteroles for dessert (store-bought, I’ll admit!) which we enjoyed al fresco on the balcony, enjoying the evening views of the lake as the sun slowly set behind the trees.


THE number of hotel rooms sold in Northern Ireland last year rose by 62% on the previous 12 months, new figures have revealed. Statistics released by the Northern


Ireland Statistics and Research Agency


(NISRA) also show


the number of beds sold in Northern Ireland 2022 rose by 43%. In total, there were more


than 2.1m rooms and 3.7m beds sold in hotels in 2022. Te figures, while still


slightly down on 2019, show signs of a stronger than expected recovery. In addition, the NISRA figures


show there were more than 512,000 rooms and 941,000 beds sold in guesthouses, guest accommodation and B&Bs last year in Northern Ireland. Compared to 2021, this represents a 67%


increase in room sales and a 70% increase in bed sales. Furthermore, self-catering occupancy also


saw positive performance in 2022 with a 10 percentage point increase in annual occupancy and an 8 percentage point increase in peak occupancy, compared to 2021.


gardens, Titanic Belfast was Northern Ireland’s most visited attraction last year followed by the Derry Walls and the Giant’s Causeway. Both Titanic Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway


showed significant growth on 2021 figures with an increase of 173% and 298% respectively. However, these have not yet recovered to pre- pandemic 2019 levels, with cost of living and inflation also playing a significant role in lifestyle spendability. Commenting on the figures, John McGrillen, CEO of Tourism Northern Ireland, said: “Te latest NISRA


tourism statistics represent a comprehensive insight into the recovery of our industry across a number of sectors. Northern


Ireland’s


attraction sector was severely impacted by the pandemic, and the significant reduction in overseas visitors, but signs of recovery are evident in the survey findings”.


“I am also encouraged by the fact that the


hotel sector performed better than anticipated in 2022. Despite the impact of the Omicron variant in the early months of the year, hotel occupancy rates got close to pre-pandemic levels, while sales didn’t quite meet those achieved in 2019. “Our guesthouses, guest accommodation


and B&Bs had a very positive 2022, with figures indicating that this sector is further along in its recovery than the hotel sector.”


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