With the Open in the rear mirror now is a perfect time to step down after a decade as Tourism NI chief executive

Belfast Telegraph

2 days ago

While I have been chief of Tourism NI for the past 10 years, my connection with the local tourism industry goes back much further to 2002, when as a relatively young chief executive of Down District Council I was appointed as a board member of what was then the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB).
Those were days of great optimism. Peace had become a reality and with it a real ambition to rebuild the North's tourism proposition. That ambition was matched with a political commitment and resources to deliver what were then known as the five tourism 'signature projects'.
Titanic Belfast, The Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre, The Mournes, St Patrick and the Walled City of Derry. These projects would ultimately become the bedrock upon which much of today's tourism industry was built.
Not unlike the recent debate around the Mourne Gateway Project, the naysayers and armchair tourism experts of the day branded Titanic Belfast a 'white elephant' and a 'waste of public money', only for it to very quickly become the catalyst for the transformation of Belfast as a 21st century tourism destination.
My 16 years at Down and Belfast City councils provided me with the opportunity to have a 'hands on' role in the delivery of some of the important tourism projects of the day including the regeneration of Newcastle into a modern tourism town, the construction of the International Conference Centre at the Waterfront Hall and iconic events such as the MTV European Music Awards and the Giro d'Italia.
This investment in both tourism infrastructure and events, which put Northern Ireland onto a global stage, has supported the local tourism industry to grow and to become one of the most important sectors of the local economy.
The sector has grown to be worth over £2.3bn a year, bringing with it benefits and employment to every community across the region.
With over three million visitors each year, we now welcome more visitors than we have residents with over 225,000 coming on around 150 cruise ships each year, figures which would have been unimaginable 10 years ago.
Much of the growth in recent years has been driven by the increase in visitor numbers from the Republic of Ireland and the very lucrative golf tourism sector.
And a lot of it is down to the success of the Northern Ireland – Embrace a Giant Spirit brand which has shaped the authentic experiences that our industry now offers the consumer and the associated award-winning marketing campaigns that have changed the perception of Northern Ireland as a short break destination.
The growth of the golf sector is something we can be particularly proud of. The mix of world class golf courses, the staging of world class international tournaments – in particular the return of the Open to Portrush in 2019 – and the close collaboration between the industry, Tourism NI and Tourism Ireland in promoting Northern Ireland as a golf destination in overseas markets has all contributed to this growth.
In 2019 we could never have imagined the Open would be back here just six years later or that we'd have seen the recent investment by US and local businesses in high end accommodation next to our leading golf courses.
Another phenomenon during my time has been screen tourism, or 'set jetting' as it's become known. NI Screen has done a magnificent job in supporting TV productions which have showcased our people and our landscape across the globe.
The past decade has also seen great collaboration between Tourism NI and the new super councils, which were formed just before I took up the role of chief in 2015. We all have limited resources, so it makes sense to work together to make the most of what we've got and to grow the industry.
The other major trend in the industry during my time as chief executive has been the way digital technology has changed how the sector now works.
Tourism agencies have had to respond and much of our marketing activity is now done through digital channels as opposed to traditional media.
What I am most proud of however, is how the Tourism NI team and the tourism industry collectively responded to the challenges posed by the Covid pandemic in 2019 and delivering the Tourism Recovery Action Plan.
The tourism industry was the first to be closed down by the pandemic and the last to reopen. In the absence of overseas visitors, we had to convince people here it was safe to go out and encourage enough people on the island of Ireland to take a staycation north of the border to ensure our businesses survived.
We got huge support from the Economy Minister and Department for the Economy and we worked hard with businesses to improve the visitor experience and reduce costs.
I'm also proud to have been involved in setting up the Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance, with the assistance of the current and former Tourism NI Chairs, Ellvena Graham and Howard Hastings.
Looking to the future, these challenges include the barriers arising from the introduction of the ETA.
Digital transformation will also continue at pace. AI is increasingly being used by consumers to create their holiday and short break itineraries.
If international visitors numbers and dwell time are to increase then direct air connectivity into our local airports also needs to improve.
Despite increasing climate change denial, the focus on sustainable or `regenerative' tourism is here to stay and tourism businesses and agencies will need to continuously consider their sustainability credentials, particularly their impact on the environment and local communities.
To deliver on the Executive's Tourism Vision and Action Plan, Tourism NI needs someone at the helm who has the vision, commitment and resilience to deliver over the next 10 years.
The incoming Tourism NI chief Laura McCorry will prove to be a brilliant leader. She is a strategic thinker, with great experience and highly regarded by everyone in the industry.
The targets within the vision are ambitious and achievable. To deliver the vision however, the ambition must be matched with investment and the current state of the public finances makes that a real challenge.
The planned investment in the City Deal tourism projects represents a major financial commitment and vote of confidence in the future potential of our tourism industry by both the local councils, and the NI Executive which is unmatched anywhere else in the UK.
As my involvement with Tourism NI comes to an end, I believe these projects can be the bedrock on which the Minister's tourism vision can be delivered in the same way the signature projects did in my early days with the NITB almost 20 years ago.