May 2023
www.nitravelnews.com
CONTENTS | 3
Page 14: A Royal Guide To London That is Fit For A King
Page 22: Sun, Beach and Sea. Make
Portugal Your Next Stop
Page 29-44: Seeking to travel more sustainably? Check out our 16- page sustainability supplement
Page 55-61:
What’s new on your doorstep? Our Local
Tourist Section Tells All...
How The Good Friday Agreement Changed The Face of Travel
... continued from Page 1 UK
As the only part of the which
relies almost
solely on air access from its main market in GB and farther afield, APD has significantly limited the growth rate in air passenger
throughput to the
region compared to competitor destinations (notably Dublin where passenger throughput has increased by 11m compared to 1.6m in NI airports since 2010). Visit Belfast endorses the arguments put forward by Belfast International Airport, George Best Belfast City Airport and the City of Derry Airport for the removal of APD. This will not only sustain existing air routes as well as enabling much needed route development across Europe,
it
will help fill
the
additional new hotel rooms in Belfast and bring more international visitors who spend longer
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and more in the city region (£306 spent by trip to Northern Ireland by non-GB/Republic of Ireland visitors compared to £209 per trip from visitors within GB and the Republic of Ireland). Low-cost airline, easyJet, has
made significant investments in Northern Ireland since it first began operating flights from Belfast in 1998. The airline now operates flights from Belfast to a number of destinations across Europe, and has established a base at Belfast International Airport,
which has created
hundreds of jobs in the region. The airline has announced flights and packages to the popular Turkish resort of Antalya for summer 2023. Meanwhile Ryanair has also
made significant investments in Northern Ireland over the last 25 years. The airline operates flights from Belfast International Airport to a number of destinations across Europe, and has increased its presence in the region in recent years with 17 flights set to take off from Belfast International for summer 2023. Aer Lingus, the flag carrier airline of Ireland, heavily
invested in
has also Northern
Ireland over the last 25 years. The airline operates flights from Belfast City Airport to a number of destinations across Europe, and has expanded its operations in the region in recent years. The airline has also just recently celebrated the first anniversary of its Franchise partnership with Emerald Airlines. Similarly,
British Airways,
the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, has also made investments in Northern Ireland over the last 25 years and now operates flights from Belfast City Airport to London Heathrow, providing a crucial link between Northern Ireland and the rest of
transport including
the UK. KLM, the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands, also now operates flights from Belfast City Airport to Amsterdam, providing a convenient connection to a number of destinations across Europe
and beyond while
Germany’s flag carrier airline, Lufthansa, launched flights from Belfast City Airport to Frankfurt, Germany, on April 23rd, the first time the airline has flown from the Province. The first
Jet2.com flight took off from Belfast International in 2004, six years after the signing of The Good Friday Agreement, with a flight to Prague. The airline put two destinations on sale at the time of launch. With the tour operator arm of the airline launched in 2007,
Jet2.com
and Jet2holidays will now take holidaymakers from Northern Ireland to 21 summer
destinations
sun in
2023 including Turkey, Islands, Portugal,
Italy and Croatia. The
development the
of
Canary Spain,
infrastructure, expansion
airports and the introduction of new flight routes, has made it easier for Northern Irish tourists to travel to destinations around the world. Improved infrastructure,
disposable income,
increased greater
awareness of travel options, and a greater variety of travel options means that over the past 25 years people from Northern Ireland have been able to explore more widely and freely than ever before. Spain, Portugal, the USA, and Australia are some of the most popular destinations for Northern Irish tourists, who are increasingly seeking out a variety of travel experiences on top of the traditional package holiday.
As the economy in Northern Ireland has grown, so too has the disposable income of its residents. This has allowed more people to
afford international travel and has resulted in an
Greece, new of
popular destination for Northern Irish tourists, with many visiting the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, and other popular beach resorts. Cities like Barcelona and Madrid are also increasingly popular. 2.
Portugal: Portugal has become an increasingly popular destination for Northern Irish tourists in recent years, with many visiting the Algarve and Lisbon.
3. USA: The United States is a popular destination for Northern Irish tourists,
with many
visiting cities like New York, Las Vegas, and Orlando, as well as destinations like California and Hawaii. 4. Australia: Australia is also a popular destination for Northern Irish tourists, with many visiting Sydney,
Melbourne, and the Great Barrier Reef. Investment in Local Tourism
WHILE outbound travel has seen huge increases in the past 25 years, some of the most significant progress can be seen in the number of tourists visiting Northern Ireland.
With multi-million pounds of investment, improved access and concerted
marketing,
Belfast’s tourism industry has recovered remarkably since the Good Friday Agreement. Tourism has gone
from strength, and is
contributing to the reimagining of the city in the eyes of visitors, investors and the resident population. It is these benefits that have had transformative force in improving thousands of lives and positively impacting on the city and regional economy. As the regional capital and key access NI,
point to Belfast acts
as a ‘toe in the water’ for visitors to NI – offering a perfect city break destination that visitors can also explore beyond the city boundaries on day excursions (GoT territory, GC, Hillsborough Castle etc). In 1999, only one year after The Good Friday Agreement was signed, tourism generated 526,000
overnight
of international and first time visitors to not only Belfast but to Northern Ireland as a whole.
Cruise Belfast was a marketing and sales initiative set up in 1999 between Belfast Harbour and
to Cruise to specifically drive cruise tourism growth.
Belfast going from an almost standing
start
partnership has been highly successful with arrivals
Visit Belfast The to
ships brought a little over a thousand cruise
(in 1999 two visitors) to
welcoming 115 ships in 2018 carrying an estimated 189,000 passengers and crew.
As the cruise industry in Northern Ireland continues to provide a welcome boost to the economy, the number of
ships expected this
season represents a 20% increase on the previous record set in 2019. Between March and October this year, 62 different vessels from
36 different trips,
2.3m bednights and 79.7m spend and supported 4,213 jobs - in 2017 (the latest available Local Government District tourism statistics from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency), this had increased to 1.5m visitor trips (+185%), 5m bednights (+117%) and £328m spend (+198%), supporting an estimated 18,600 jobs (+341%).
increase in outbound tourism. The growth of the internet and social media has also made it easier for Northern Irish residents to become aware of travel options and to plan trips to destinations around the world. In addition to traditional package holidays, there are now more options for Northern Irish tourists,
including adventure
travel, city breaks, and cultural tours with some of the most popular destinations including: 1. Spain: Spain has long been a
annual hotel room sales have increased by 314%,
324,000 hotel rooms sold in 1999 to 1.34m in 2018 whilst visitor enquiries handled by Visit Belfast have increased by 343% reflecting the growing interest in Belfast as a visitor destination. One of the biggest tourism successes has been the growth in cruise visitors to Belfast which has brought an increasingly significant number
Meanwhile, from
cruise lines will dock at the port carrying more than 350,000 passengers and crew. This season will feature six embarkation cruises departing from Belfast with Ambassador Cruise Lines, where local residents can start and finish their cruise from Belfast. There will also be 15 ships calling to Belfast for the first time, including Disney Dream, Norwegian Prima and MSC Preziosa, as well as Ambassador Ambition, demonstrating Northern Ireland’s increasing popularity as a cruise destination and providing testament to the quality of award-winning visitor attractions across the region. The last twenty-five years
has seen Belfast become the engine room of the Northern Ireland economy.
is a wide range of
interest
Anecdotally, of
relating to
‘Troubles’ – over the years a number of products and visitor experiences have been developed tapping into this interest,
visitor there levels the
from ex prisoner
walking tours to exhibitions in the Ulster Museum for example.
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