TOURISM TRENDS IN NI
Tourists from Great Britain, ROI and overseas increased steadily through the 1960s then declined sharply in the early 1970s. In 1967 60,000 visitors came from the USA, 15,000 from Europe, and 20,000 from other overseas countries (The image of Ireland, ). By the 1988, nearly 40 per cent of the USA visitors and 32 of the European visitors were taking their holiday in the ROI, crossing the North for a relatively short period of time.
÷Paradoxically, once tourists are persuaded to visit Northern Ireland, they are less concerned about the presence of any trouble.
÷It is a fact that changing tourism patterns in the ROI gave a direct influence on visitor numbers in the North.
÷The high impact of the troubles on the popularity of NI as a tourist destination is shown in Table 1.
Table 1. The impact of the troubles
REASONS TO VISIT IN NI/YEARVFRHOLIDAY BUSINESSOTHERSHOPPING
196938%36%25%1%-
198849%14%24%9%4%
The category 'other' as used by the NITB includes cultural and educational visits.
NITB Rehearsal photo May 7, 2010
G8 Media reception at Castle Coole, 17 June 2013
SoS at NITB G8 media receptionThe most striking change is the number of people actually visiting the North as independent holidaymakers - a decline from 36% to a mere 14% of the total.
Source:
÷A report by the NI Department of Economic Development in 1989 entitled: "A view to the Future" suggests that the low numbers of actual holidaymakers in NI reflects the violent image of the North in the outside world. Therefore the question, which is asked, is: Why bother promoting tourism at all until an end to the troubles is in sights? (the image of irelan, ).
PROMOTING NI'S IMAGE
The marketing of NI as a tourist destination has been a challenge for the NITB in the face of terrorist activity and adverse media publicity. The NITB was assigned to carry out the difficult task...