Make Yourself at Home - Developing a 10 year Tourism Plan for Belfast

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Consultation has concluded

As part of the Council's ten-year cultural strategy, A City Imagining, we have developed this draft 10 year Tourism Plan. The main purpose is to:

  • Support Belfast's economic and social recovery in the context of COVID-19 including stabilisation, recovery and growth with the opportunity to build back better.
  • Provide strategic context to the Belfast Region City Deal that sets out wider city priorities to ensure Belfast’s appeal internationally and ability to attract out of state visitors.
  • Complement and enhance ambitions of the Belfast Agenda, City Recovery Plan, and Bolder Vision

A recent study assessed the potential impact of COVID-19 on the city. The report recognises Belfast’s role in regional tourism:

  • Belfast is an important attractor for international, high value tourists to the region.
  • Belfast’s share of out of state tourism spend has been significantly higher than the NI-wide share (83% v 72%).
  • Spending by tourists in Belfast has outpaced the NI average, growing by 20% year on year compared to 4.5% regionally.
  • Belfast has grown at a faster rate than the rest of NI mainly because of its attractiveness in two high value markets – city breaks and business tourism

We want to build on previous successes. As we open our doors again, as citizens and as a society, let us extend the invitation to make yourself at home to our neighbours, both local and global. The plan sets out a shared vison for tourism in the city and will be supported by four strategic themes and three of catalyst projects.

One of the key catalyst projects of this draft plan will be Belfast Stories, a transformational project designed to capture the unique spirit of Belfast. This major regeneration and tourism anchor will help revitalise our city centre, allowing people to connect with the city and one another through stories, screens and social spaces.

We have 12 weeks to consult (until 4 February 2022) and during this time we want to reach as many people as possible which is why we encourage you to follow this project (link on the right) and to use the tools we created to engage on this topic (below). Your opinion matters. To make it easier for as many people as possible to get involved, we are also organising a number of webinars that we will advertise on this page.

As part of the Council's ten-year cultural strategy, A City Imagining, we have developed this draft 10 year Tourism Plan. The main purpose is to:

  • Support Belfast's economic and social recovery in the context of COVID-19 including stabilisation, recovery and growth with the opportunity to build back better.
  • Provide strategic context to the Belfast Region City Deal that sets out wider city priorities to ensure Belfast’s appeal internationally and ability to attract out of state visitors.
  • Complement and enhance ambitions of the Belfast Agenda, City Recovery Plan, and Bolder Vision

A recent study assessed the potential impact of COVID-19 on the city. The report recognises Belfast’s role in regional tourism:

  • Belfast is an important attractor for international, high value tourists to the region.
  • Belfast’s share of out of state tourism spend has been significantly higher than the NI-wide share (83% v 72%).
  • Spending by tourists in Belfast has outpaced the NI average, growing by 20% year on year compared to 4.5% regionally.
  • Belfast has grown at a faster rate than the rest of NI mainly because of its attractiveness in two high value markets – city breaks and business tourism

We want to build on previous successes. As we open our doors again, as citizens and as a society, let us extend the invitation to make yourself at home to our neighbours, both local and global. The plan sets out a shared vison for tourism in the city and will be supported by four strategic themes and three of catalyst projects.

One of the key catalyst projects of this draft plan will be Belfast Stories, a transformational project designed to capture the unique spirit of Belfast. This major regeneration and tourism anchor will help revitalise our city centre, allowing people to connect with the city and one another through stories, screens and social spaces.

We have 12 weeks to consult (until 4 February 2022) and during this time we want to reach as many people as possible which is why we encourage you to follow this project (link on the right) and to use the tools we created to engage on this topic (below). Your opinion matters. To make it easier for as many people as possible to get involved, we are also organising a number of webinars that we will advertise on this page.