Tourism in Northern Ireland inquiry launched
28 February 2019
The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee launches inquiry into the economic and social impact of tourism in Northern Ireland and how it can be further supported through improved transport and promotion.
The inquiry
Tourism in Northern Ireland is estimated to generate a revenue of £926 million and attracts an estimated 2.7 million external visitors every year. Employment in tourism and related industries is now over 10% of total employment.
In recent years, the Northern Ireland tourism industry has benefited from significant major events as well as the growing demand in "screen tourism" following the worldwide success of programmes filmed in Northern Ireland, such as Game of Thrones Northern Ireland has also benefited from other significant tourism developments including the opening of the Titanic visitor centre and the new visitor centre at the Giant's Causeway.
In this new inquiry, the Committee will examine the importance of tourism to the economy and society of Northern Ireland more widely and investigate ways in which the industry could be improved or further supported.
The Committee is seeking evidence in three main areas:
- The economic and societal impact of the tourism industry in Northern Ireland
- Transport links to Northern Ireland; and
- The promotion of Northern Ireland as a destination.
Chair's comments
Chair of the Committee, Dr Andrew Murrison MP commented on the new inquiry:
"The tourism industry is well positioned to assist in the rebalancing of Northern Ireland's economy. My Committee wishes to revisit its previous work in this area, to assess progress and make further recommendations."
Terms of reference
The Committee is inviting written evidence submissions on the following points. The deadline is 5pm on Thursday 18 April.
(I) The economic and societal impact of the tourism industry in Northern Ireland
- How does tourism contribute to the Northern Ireland economy, either directly or indirectly?
- Which other industries rely on tourism for income?
- What sectors of the industry are performing well, and which are struggling?
- What can be done to support all sectors within the industry?
- How is the tourism industry's economic contribution distributed geographically?
- What can be done to support tourism in underdeveloped areas in Northern Ireland?
- Is tourism in Northern Ireland seasonal? What can be done to support Tourism throughout the year?
- How can Northern Ireland maximise on the impact of events such as the 2019 Open Championship?
- How can repeat tourism to Northern Ireland be encouraged?
- How does the tourism industry support employment in Northern Ireland?
- What is the quality of the employment provided by the tourism industry?
- Can tourism help to address legacy issues?
- Are there any negative impacts of tourism to Northern Ireland? How can these be mitigated?
(II) Transport links to Northern Ireland
- What travel links currently exist between Northern Ireland and i) Great Britain, ii) the Republic of Ireland, iii) the rest of Europe and iv) the rest of the world?
- How can current travel links be expanded to encourage greater numbers of tourists to Northern Ireland?
- How well is Northern Ireland's tourism industry served by its airports?
- How could Northern Ireland's airports be supported further to improve opportunities for travel to Northern Ireland?
- How has Northern Ireland performed as a cruise destination? How could this area be expanded?
(III) The promotion of Northern Ireland as a destination
- How is Northern Ireland as a tourist destination currently promoted i) domestically and ii) abroad?
- How effective is Tourism Ireland in promoting Northern Ireland as a destination?
- Would Northern Ireland benefit from having its own promotion agency?
Written submissions
Anyone can submit written evidence as long as the submission is clear, concise, addresses the terms of reference and is not already published elsewhere. You can read more about how to submit written evidence here.
The Closing date for written submissions is 4pm on Thursday 18 April.
Further information
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