Northern Ireland is now top of the "must visit" list for many US companies when examining Europe and real and tangible benefits are likely to be evident within 12 month, according to Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam.

Addressing the American Chamber of Commerce in London yesterday, Dr Mowlam said industry leaders in the US and Canada now increasingly recognised that Northern Ireland offered the right conditions for investment success. A number of North American business organisations are already discussing with the Industrial Development Board the possibility of bringing small groups to Northern Ireland, she said. The road-show marked the beginning of a three-year sustained marketing campaign. "There will be further promotional events over the next few months in France, Japan and the US. It is also encouraging to see that visits to Northern Ireland by American corporations have already started and these are expected to increase during the next year."

The rate of job creation in Northern Ireland is rapidly improving with new jobs coming on stream in indigenous and internationally-owned companies.

She added: "Northern Ireland now has the lowest level of unemployment for 18 years and companies are always looking at the potential to grow. They too need to change to compete even more effectively, to achieve even greater success, especially in export markets around the world."