The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency or NISRA released the recent figures that show tourist revenue growth by seven percent to more than £98 million.
To quote Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, “I am particularly pleased to see growth of 23% in holidaymakers from overseas, with significant increases recorded from GB (23%), North America (31%) and Mainland Europe (32%). Overseas tourism delivers about £543m per year for the Northern Ireland economy, helping to sustain valuable employment in local communities.
He also said, “Tourism Ireland is determined to ensure that growth continues and we are rolling out an extensive programme of promotions throughout 2017, to highlight Northern Ireland around the world.”
Colin Neill, Hospitality Ulster CEO explained that the statistics highlighted the significance of free movement of tourists post Brexit.
To quote him, “Overall tourism expenditure rose by 11% on an annual basis, which is good news for our hoteliers, restaurateurs and publicans and indeed the economy as a whole, showing that the hospitality sector is working for the NI economy. What is very interesting from these figures is the fact that overnight visits from the Republic of Ireland surged 35% across the 12 month period and for the first quarter of 2017 rose by 13%. This far outstrips the growth in overnight visitors from any other market.”
