THENORTHERN Ireland Tourist Board claims a more positive image of the destination created by the peace process has prompted a 25% rise in British visitors.
A total of 81,000 Britons visited Northern Ireland in 1998, compared to 65,000 the previous year.
“Northern Ireland is becoming a more acceptable destination,” said NITB chairman Roy Bailie. “The events of the past 16 months, during the peace process, have created a much more positive perception of Northern Ireland than before. Previously you only saw bombs and riots, but now there have been peace moves, a peace agreement and elections.”
Bailie said the peace process had encouraged airlines and ferry operators to launch new services between mainland Britain and NorthernIreland. EasyJet launched a service between Luton and Belfast last September, while P&O Ferries increased sailing frequency on its Larne-Cairnryan route
This summer, EasyJet will launch a Liverpool-Belfast service and Ryanair is planning a Stansted-Londonderry service. British Regional Airways has increased capacity on its Edinburgh-Belfast route and will launch a new Sheffield-Belfast route this month.
Meanwhile, Sea Containers introduced new ferry services to Belfast from Troon in Scotland and Heysham in Lancashire earlier this year.
“Nothing succeeds like success. When airlines and shipping companies can see growth they will add on capacity to deal with that growth,” said Bailie.
He added that hotel bedstock in Belfast has doubled to 3,400 since 1995. The new accommodation has covered the three to five-star spectrum.
Bailie said it was too early to forecast visitor growth for 1999, but NITB offices in the UK were reporting a 19% increase in enquiries about the destination and hotels were reporting good occupancy rates.
“We have always said that Northern Ireland was a good destination,” said Bailie. “As television increasingly shows a positive Northern Ireland, we will be able to compete quite vigorously with other destinations like Ireland.”