Areas of the US where people have strong family ties with Northern Ireland are to be targeted next year in a drive to boost the tourism figures, it was announced today.
Unveiling their marketing plans for 2005 in Belfast today, Tourism Ireland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB), they said they hoped to see visitor numbers to the North top two million for the first time. While a target of increasing all-island visitor numbers has been set at 5 per cent, the target for Northern Ireland has been fixed at an ambitious 7 per cent.
Mr Paul O'Toole, chief executive of Tourism Ireland said that a host of new air links , including a direct link between New York and Belfast, should help drive growth. Speaking at a press conference in Belfast Castle, he announced that Tourism Ireland had allocated an additional budget of almost €350,000 for specifically promoting Northern Ireland.
Mr O'Toole said an increased emphasis was being placed on e-business to attract visitors to Ireland. "We will be aiming to make the island of Ireland a market leader in Internet communications, with all products available online, easily accessible and purchasable," he said. A special drive will also be made in targeted areas of the UK, including Scotland, the North of England and the Midlands.
NITB chief executive Mr Alan Clarke said working together with Tourism Ireland had resulted in a "great year for tourism".
"The challenge now is to sustain this growth. We must continue to give people reasons to visit Northern Ireland, and the development of short breaks and business tourism will be key," he said.