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In 2019, tourism in Northern Ireland attracted 5.3 million visitors who spent £1 billion.

In the past number of years the Northern Ireland tourism industry has benefited from significant major events such as The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019.

Future opportunities will arise with the growing demand for screen tourism following the worldwide success of programmes like Game of Thrones and films such as Belfast.

Northern Ireland has also benefited from other significant tourism developments including the opening of new attractions such as the Game of Thrones studio tour.

Key statistics

Tourism statistics released by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) for 2019 show:

• Overnight trips to Northern Ireland by external visitors were estimated to be 3 million.
• The growth in trips was largely driven by holidays, as there were 322,000 more holiday visitors compared with 2018. The closer to home markets (NI and ROI) increased by 17%, while holiday visitors from GB and Other Overseas grew by 7%.
• Domestic performance was strong, with NI residents taking more trips, notably holidays, in NI and spending more.
   

There are a number of legal considerations for tourist accommodation providers. You must comply with all relevant legislation, in particular the .

Several organisations exist that can offer advice and guidance that will assist you in starting a tourist accommodation business.

Tourism NI

The  can help you with mandatory tourism accommodation certification guidance and complying with relevant laws.

Invest NI Tourism Team

The can advise you on the commercial aspects of your development.

Financial assistance may be available to established businesses or to help develop new accommodation businesses. 

You can contact the Invest NI Tourism Team on Tel 0800 181 4422 or email tourism@investni.com.

Planning authorities

You should also speak with your local  at the outset of the project to find out if you will encounter any planning problems.  A clear understanding, at an early stage, of planning issues relating to your project may save you time and money.  

Your local council

The tourism officers of your local council will have a detailed knowledge of the tourism situation in your local area and will be able to provide information about council schemes or upcoming events, activities and initiatives planned for your area. Find your local council in Northern Ireland.

Rural projects

From time to time the offers 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ for the development of rural tourism accommodation projects. 

Under the Tourism (NI) Order 1992, there are eight categories of accommodation. Each of these types of accommodation must be by Tourism NI.

What are the eight categories of tourism accommodation in Northern Ireland?

The different types of tourism accommodation include: 

Hotel

A hotel is an establishment with a minimum of 15 double bedrooms (all of which must be en suite) that can provide breakfast, lunch, and an evening meal for guests.

Guesthouse

A guesthouse is an establishment with a minimum of three double bedrooms (all of which must be en suite) and can provide both breakfast and an evening meal.

Bed and breakfast (B&B)

A B&B offers overnight accommodation whilst also providing guests with a cooked breakfast. There is no requirement to provide an evening meal and only one guest bedroom is required.

Hostel

A hostel provides overnight budget accommodation for guests in shared rooms or dormitories. A hostel should have shared or en suite bathroom facilities, as well as a common kitchen and lounge area.

Self-catering

a self-catering unit is a self-contained apartment, house, cottage, etc which provides furnished accommodation for visitors including sleeping accommodation and catering facilities.

Bunk house/Camping barn

A bunk house or camping barn offers simple overnight shelter, often in remote locations with limited facilities and services.

Campus accommodation

Campus accommodation is provided by educational establishments for their students and made available to individuals, families or groups at certain times of the year, typically Easter, summer and Christmas holidays.

Guest accommodation

guest accommodation is primarily focused on the provision of en suite bedrooms, for example, restaurants and pubs that wish to provide accommodation for visitors.

Tourism NI offers for each of these categories. If you are an existing tourist accommodation provider and you wish to change your category, eg from a B&B to a guesthouse, you can .

To offer tourist accommodation in Northern Ireland, you must have a certificate from Tourism NI. It is illegal to offer tourist accommodation without certification.

Planning permission

Before seeking certification it is important to ensure you have met planning guidelines if you have had to make any building adjustments to the premises you intend to use for your accommodation business. See local council contact details in Northern Ireland.

Certification

Certification is mandatory for most establishments offering visitor accommodation in Northern Ireland. You can to be certified by Tourism NI.

A fee for the inspection is payable in advance for the first inspection. Statutory inspections then take place once every four years although Tourism NI can undertake an inspection at any time. The purpose of inspections is to ensure that the minimum requirements appropriate to the category continue to be met. If not, Tourism NI may add conditions to the certificate or revoke it.

A certification officer will conduct an inspection to determine if the premises can be allocated to the chosen category. If a certificate is issued, your premises becomes a Certified Tourist Establishment and you may start trading.

Tourism NI runs a for accommodation businesses in Northern Ireland. Other UK National Tourist Boards and the AA also operate the scheme. This scheme is open to hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses, guest accommodation, hostels and self-catering accommodation.

The scheme focuses on enhancing the visitor experience across all visitor touchpoints. In addition to providing a star rating which helps visitor decision making, the scheme also provides businesses with advice and 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ

Having a quality rating will give your premises credibility and visibility which is vital in today's competitive market.

Your business may receive up to five stars, based on a range of criteria, including cleanliness, presentation and service. Your business is rated by an assessor who in some instances will visit without making themselves known.

Please note that this scheme is voluntary, it is not a legal requirement and you are under no obligation to apply for quality grading.

See tourist accommodation quality grading scheme.

With the variety of choice available to consumers from hotels, B&B's, caravan parks, guest houses or self catering accommodation it is important that tourist accommodation businesses take an entrepreneurial approach to generate profits or grow.

Taking an entrepreneurial approach in the tourist accommodation industry could include exploiting opportunities presented by increased visitor numbers due to major events, festivals, tourist attractions or celebrations.

Potential investors in tourism accommodation should be careful that there is a sustainable demand for more accommodation - beyond one event or one year. As with any investment, investors should look for a reasonable return on investment. The investment should only be made when a real tourism market need has been identified and not just because a building or site has become available for development.

Entrepreneurship can be encouraged in business by being forward thinking, well organised, responsive to change and by encouraging staff to think outside the box. In addition to this businesses can cut out bureaucratic processes, simplify decision making, take a structured approach to financial management reward staff for new ideas and business improvement suggestions.

Factors to consider

When assessing options for entrepreneurial opportunities, consideration should be given to the following:

• current accommodation provision
• occupancy levels
• attractions and events
• research and trends
• strategic tourism policy
• pricing levels of competition

There are a range of organisations who can provide 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ for tourist accommodation businesses. 

Invest Northern Ireland Tourism Team

The Invest Northern Ireland (NI) Tourism Team can advise you on the commercial aspects of your tourism accommodation development.

Financial assistance may be available to established businesses or to help develop new accommodation businesses.

Invest NI may also offer a wide range of advice and guidance to tourism accommodation businesses including:-

• IT and e-business issues
• training
• design and marketing
• market research information
• energy and water efficiencies

You can contact the Invest NI Tourism Team on Tel 0800 181 4422 or email tourism@investni.com.

Other 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ organisations

You can also seek 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ from other organisations such as Tourism NI, your local council and local planning authorities. See legal and licensing help for new tourist accommodation businesses.

Business 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ networks

Business networks are of paramount importance, they will assist you in growing your business. You can keep up to date with the latest industry developments and learn best practices from your peers.

The following organisations are networks of accommodation, hospitality and tourism businesses: 

Additional 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ

Tourism NI offers a range of 91Ï㽶»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ for tourist accommodation businesses including:

• Northern Ireland marketed as a tourism destination via Tourism NI's consumer website .
• Access to which includes roadshows, masterclasses, business insights and conferences