NI tourism industry will be ‘harder hit’ by no-deal than rest of the UK
A NO deal Brexit will leave Northern Ireland’s tourism industry more vulnerable than the equivalent in other parts of the UK, the head of Tourism Ireland has said.
Speaking during the launch of a major new tourism drive for next year, Niall Gibbons said while 2018 is set to be a record breaking year for the industry here, its future depends on a stable economic environment.
By the end of December, it’s expected that 2.23 million overseas visitors will have arrived in Northern Ireland over the year, spending £589m.
Tourism Ireland has set a target of increasing that performance by 8% in 2019, which would involve attracting 2.33 million overseas visitors next year, spending £639m.
However, Mr Gibbons said the projections are based on a Brexit deal being struck with the EU before March 29.
The Tourism Ireland chief described how the group had set up a Brexit task force in the days after the 2016 referendum. While it has not analysed the economic impact of a no deal scenario in Northern Ireland, research by Failte Ireland has suggested that the Republic’s tourism industry could lose around £350m.
“If a deal happens, there is real opportunity here to grow our business by 8%. If one doesn’t happen, the consequences can be very difficult. More than anything, our business depends on a stable economic environment.
We learned in the last recession, if people in any way feel vulnerable, they’re likely to pull back on discretionary spending and tourism was one of the first things then to get hit.”
He said Northern Ireland’s dependence on the British market will make it more vulnerable if the economy slips.
“Northern Ireland is more vulnerable than other regions because if the British decide to stay at home, it’s places like Devon, Cornwall, the Lake District and Scotland that are more likely to benefit.”
Tourism Ireland’s new global campaign — ‘Fill your Heart with Ireland’ — will begin appearing
across the USA, Britain, France and Germany from January 2019. With The Open arriving in Portrush in the summer and new Game of Throne attractions expected to start appearing next Autumn, there is plenty of optimism within the tourist industry here.
“I think we have to keep
things in perspective. There are still a lot of compelling reasons as to why people are going to come here — so many more than a decade ago,” said Mr Gibbons.
“We have a very strong campaign in place that will be going out to all our markets. That will certainly help to mitigate any risks that are there.”