08 July 2020

Message from the Domestic Tourism Strategy Steering Group Chairperson, Ciaran O'Neill:

As a consequence of the Covid 19 pandemic the world we live in has and is undergoing a period of profound change. More than any sector tourism has been severely impacted. However, as we move out of crisis and begin to understand what the ‘new norm’ will look like we must now begin to chart the road to recovery for the tourism industry throughout Northern Ireland.

The domestic market will be key to the sectors recovery.

For practical reasons the NI consumer will be likely highly unlikely to travel overseas for holidays in the near term. Not only will there be travel restrictions but many consumers will not want to travel abroad. Recent research shows that taking a holiday on the island of Ireland represents a much comfortable proposition than going abroad. Additionally, while the pandemic has damaged consumer confidence, the enforced lock down has also limited their spending and created a latent desire and pent up demand to take short breaks and holidays. This is a demand that the domestic market is best positioned to meet.

Prior to Covid 19 a Domestic Tourism Strategy was developed, with a plan to launch the strategy in quarter one 2020. For obvious reasons this launch and the implementation of the strategy was delayed.

Click to view the NI Domestic Tourism Strategy