� IN FOCUS l IRELAND Belfast to welcome 117 cruise ships during 2018
A total of 117 cruise ships will dock in Belfast Harbour during 2018, bringing more than 200,000 visitors to Northern Ireland – up by 50,000 year-on-year. Cruise Belfast – a marketing and visitor servicing partnership between Belfast Harbour and Visit Belfast – said 2018 will be another record cruise season for Belfast and Northern Ireland.
Eight new cruise lines have added Belfast to their itineraries, joining operators such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Cunard. The city is also increasingly popular with exploration and adventure ships which operate at the luxury end of the market. Tony McAuley, Belfast Harbour commercial officer, said: “It’s particularly encouraging that the
profile of the cruise lines choosing to come to Belfast continues to diversify, including boutique vessels as well as large operators such as Princess, Celebrity, Cunard and Tui.” Mary Jo McCanny, Visit Belfast’s
director of visitor services, added: “Belfast’s profile as a travel destination couldn’t be better with recent accolades from National
Geographic Traveller and Lonely Planet. “We work hard with Belfast Harbour to ensure we deliver on our sales and marketing promise, by delivering a first-class welcome and visitor service when each cruise passenger or crew member comes ashore in Belfast.”
visitbelfast.com
Belfast to host travel influencers at global summit
More than 50 of the world’s top travel influencers and tourism industry leaders will gather in Belfast for a two-day social media summit (September 25-26). Sponsored by VisitBritain, the summit will promote the UK internationally, along with support from Tourism Northern Ireland (NI). Now in its fifth year, the Social
Travel Summit is one of the leading global conferences for professional travel influencers, such as social media marketers and bloggers. Organised by the iambassador
network, the summit will give travel influencers and tourism industry leaders the opportunity to study new approaches and learn about the latest trends in digital marketing. The two-day conference in
Belfast’s Merchant Hotel includes speeches by industry experts, networking and roundtable discussions.
Emma Mead, head of global PR at VisitBritain/VisitEngland, said: “We know the powerful role that social media plays in
16 TravelGBI | April 2018 NEWS IN BRIEF
w Flybe boosts Belfast City-London City link
Regional airline Flybe has added an extra 12 flights a week to its service between Belfast City and London City airports, starting from May 7. The enhanced schedule
provides more day return options as well as an extra service on both Saturday and Sunday for weekend
travellers.
flybe.com
w Grand Central Hotel to open after transformation
The 300-room Grand Central Hotel in Belfast will open in June after its owner, Hastings Hotels, refurbished a 23-storey office block to create Northern Ireland’s largest hotel.
Julie Hastings, Hastings
promoting the UK to overseas visitors so we’re thrilled to be working in partnership with iambassador again. “We are looking forward to shining the spotlight on the UK’s vibrant cities, breathtaking countryside, innovative food and drink scene and rich cultural heritage, to inspire influencers to share their stories globally and get more overseas visitors booking a trip to the UK.” VisitBritain hosted the event in 2016, and saw more than 110 delegates from 25 countries attending the global summit in Inverness, Scotland.
As part of the 2018 summit, leading travel influencers will visit destinations across the UK, with trips themed around the “passions that motivate travel”,
as part of VisitBritain’s new global campaign, I Travel For. Keith Jenkins, iambassador
chief executive, said: “We’re looking to build on the award-winning success of #STSInverness 2016 by working together with our partners VisitBritain and Tourism NI to raise the bar yet again.” John McGrillen, chief
executive of Tourism NI, added: “Social and digital media play an integral role in the international marketing of Northern Ireland’s thriving tourism industry. Securing the hosting rights of the Social Travel Summit presents a unique opportunity to tap into the significant influence of the world’s leading travel bloggers.”
thesocialtravelsummit.com
Hotels marketing director, said: “The Grand Central Hotel represents the single biggest project that Hastings Hotels has ever undertaken. The hotel will command the skyline of Belfast and bring a new era of modern luxury to the city.”
hastingshotels.com
w Tourist board and partners highlight Causeway Coast
Tourism Ireland teamed with P&O Ferries, Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council and Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to promote the Causeway Coast and Northern Ireland as a ‘must see’ destination in Scotland. Held in March and April, the campaign aimed to reach millions of Scottish ‘culturally curious’ holidaymakers, to boost tourism from Scotland to Northern Ireland over the
coming months.
tourismireland.com
travelgbi.com
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