Tourist board wants to exploit Northern Ireland's notoriety

As Northern Ireland faces the latest crisis in its arduous peace process, the region's tourist board has said it wants to use the area's grim terrorist past to attract more visitors.

Isabel Jennings, marketing director of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB), said last week that the board needed to exploit the very reasons that have kept tourists away.

She added: "We need to use the curiosity factor. There is nowhere in the world where people have not heard of Northern Ireland for the wrong reasons. Our advantage is that the world is watching, and we need to grasp that."

Jennings was speaking at the "Business growth in the 21st century" conference in Belfast last week.

Hoteliers at the conference voiced fears that economic disadvantages will mean that they will continue to lose out, with more tourists opting for Dublin and other destinations in the south.

One problem is the vast difference in Northern Ireland's marketing budget compared with the money spent in the Republic. Just £170,000 was spent last year compared with the southern tourist board, Bord Fáilte, which spent £2.8m, although the NITB plans to boost its spending with help from the European Union.

Colin Shillington, the new director general of the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation (NIHF), highlighted the strength of sterling compared with the Irish pound, which is likely to discourage tourists from south of the border.

And Howard Hastings, managing director of the Hastings Hotels group and president of the NIHF, added that VAT is 10% higher in Northern Ireland than in the Republic.

"The Government needs to help the accommodation sector. The chancellor will be loath to vary VAT in only one jurisdiction, but it could overcome difficulties with rates relief," he said.

by Christina Golding

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 3 - 9 February 2000