14 per cent rise in number of people visiting North

The number of people visiting the North last year rose by 14 per cent as consumers headed across the Border in search of bargains, a new study has found.

Research undertaken by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board reveals that 366,000 visitors came from the Republic in 2008 with many seeking to take advantage of the decline in value of sterling to buy cheaper goods.

According to the study, the number of people booking hotels from the Republic rose 25 per cent.

In 2008, hotels in Northern Ireland experienced a significant increase in arrivals overall but shorter stays resulted in an average room occupancy of 63 per cent, down 4 per cent on the preceding year.

“During these challenging economic times, the strong euro and a tightening of household budgets have made Northern Ireland an increasingly attractive destination for closer to home markets and people wanting to holiday at home. Northern Ireland offers clear value for money that should be exploited in this current climate,” said NITB's new chairman Howard Hastings.

While the figures show an increase of visitors from the Republic, they also indicate that overall visitor numbers have not risen, while there has been a slowdown in the number of tourists entering Northern Ireland from Britain, Europe and North America.

Holiday visitors currently account for 23 per cent of total visitors to the North, significantly lower than in the Republic where approximately half are holiday visitors. However, NITB said that in the years since the Good Friday Agreement, the number of tourists has grown.

Over half of tourism-related businesses in the North believe that while the recession will impact on the sector, it is unlikely to cause too much damage as firms benefit from the euro sterling differential.