Tourism Northern Ireland

Screen tourism opportunities

amulvenna — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 11:22:49 +0000

Screen tourism opportunities amulvenna Mon, 13/08/2018 - 12:22

Introduction

Food tourism opportunities

amulvenna — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 11:44:05 +0000

Food tourism opportunities amulvenna Mon, 09/11/2015 - 11:44

Introduction

Tourist accommodation: reselling electricity, gas and utilities

amulvenna — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 15:35:35 +0000

Tourist accommodation: reselling electricity, gas and utilities amulvenna Thu, 01/10/2015 - 16:35

Legal requirements for tourism businesses

In this guide:

Planning permission and building control for tourism businesses

Find out if you need planning permission for your bed and breakfast, self catering or other tourism business.
If you plan to open a small bed and breakfast in your own home, you may not need planning permission to start your business. The key test to decide if you need planning permission is whether you will change the overall nature of the house. For example, a building changing from a private home to business premises.

Changing the use of premises

If your home will no longer be used mainly as a private residence, and your business activities will affect the area where you live then you will likely need planning consent for a change of use. Things affecting the local area include disturbance to neighbours and increased footfall.

You only need planning permission if the new building use is classed differently from the current one. For example, changing the building from a greengrocer to a shoe shop will not need planning permission as both are classed as shops. However, if you're changing a home into a guest house then you will need planning permission.

Contact your council’s local planning office for advice.

New premises

If you are agreeing a lease or buying a new property for your accommodation start-up, you should consider in advance if you need to get planning permission for your intended use. Also think about what your chances of getting it are. Contact your local area planning office for their advice at an early stage.

Building regulations

Building regulations apply if you plan to:

convert, extend or make changes to the structure of an existing property

construct a new building

These rules set standards on the safety and stability of any building work.

If you're planning on carrying out work on your premises, you must apply with your local Building Control Office.
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Business rates for your tourist accommodation premises

Find out if you need to pay business rates serviced or self catering accommodation premises.
If you operate bed and breakfast or self-catering accommodation, you may need to pay business rates.

If you operate a bed and breakfast you may have to pay both non-domestic rates, on the portion used for guest accommodation, and domestic rates on the portion used for owner/staff accommodation. See business rates.

Business rates do not apply to a bed and breakfast where:

facilities have less than six bed spaces available

letting out the rooms is subsidiary to the use of the rest of the house as your home (looking at, for example, the length of your season, the scale of changes carried out for guests and how much of the house you live in)

Business rates do not apply to a self-catering accommodation where:

the facilities are available for short-period lets less than 140 days a year

Domestic and business use

If you have to pay business rates, but use your property for business and domestic purposes, only the part you use for business purposes is subject to business rates. You will have to pay domestic rates for the residential part of the property.
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Signs for your tourism business

Find out if you need permission to display tourism signs or advertisements for your business.
If you display any outdoor signs or advertisements you may need to apply to the planning authority for consent. Whether you need consent from the planning authority depends on whether your signs are fully, partially or not lit-up and where you place them.

If your property is listed or lies within a conservation area you may need further consent. You could also be more restricted in the types of signs you can display.

You will also need to ensure that any signs you display are not misleading. This could be a breach of fair trading rules, as well as marketing laws.

Brown tourism signs

If you wish to apply for brown tourism signposting, you should contact the Roads Department of your local council, who will advise you about:

procedures

local policy

costs

Tourism Northern Ireland provide information about brown signs.
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Health and safety in tourism businesses

An outline of health and safety obligations specific to tourism businesses.
As a tourist accommodation provider, you are responsible for health and safety of your guests whilst they are on your premises.

Your health and safety obligations extend to not only to guests, but to anyone on your premises, including staff.

For more general guidance on health and safety, see health and safety.

Keeping your guests safe

You have a 'duty of care' to guests and other visitors. You must make sure that premises are reasonably safe for purpose.. If you don't take precautions to ensure reasonable safety of the premises, you can be sued for compensation or prosecuted.

To make premises 'reasonably safe', you should take common sense precautions such as:

remove risks and obstructions that may cause your guests to slip, trip or fall (eg wet floor, loose cables, clutter on stairs, etc)

make sure furnishings are fit for purpose and secure

ensure electrical appliances are safe to use

make your guests aware of your emergency procedures

consider all your guests and their needs (eg children, disabled guests etc.)

If certain parts of your premises, such as the kitchen or the store room, are clearly marked out of bounds to guests, your duty of care may not extend to these areas.

You may be held liable for accidents caused as a result of the actions of your staff or other guests. However, your guests also have a duty to take care of their own safety. If they have an accident due to their own negligence, or while doing something you wouldn't reasonably expect them to do, your liability for the accident may be reduced or overridden.

As part of your health and safety responsibilities, you will need to report certain accidents involving your guests or staff. See first aid, accidents and ill health in the workplace.

Staff health and safety

For on outline of your health and safety duties to your staff, see employer's health and safety responsibilities.

You are also legally required to have insurance to cover your liability for any bodily injury or disease sustained by an employee at work. See liability insurance for your business.

Whilst it's not a legal requirement, you should consider taking out additional insurance to cover your liability to your guests. See public liability insurance.

If a guest or a member of your staff has made a claim against you, you should seek legal advice. Find a solicitor.
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Fire, gas and electricity safety in tourism businesses

Fire, gas and electricity safety laws that tourist accommodation businesses must comply with.
All accommodation businesses, regardless of their size, have to comply with safety laws relating to fire, gas and electricity.

Fire safety

All businesses must:

carry out regular fire risk assessments

record the assessment, if they employ five or more employees

put in place adequate fire prevention and evacuation measures

Fire risk assessment is the foundation for all the fire safety measures you need on the premises. It is essential to keep your business and your guests safe. See fire safety and risk assessment.

Furniture fire safety

If you are providing self-catering accommodation that contains upholstered furniture, your furniture must comply with certain safety tests:

upholstered furniture must pass a prescribed cigarette resistance test

cover prescribed fabric, whether for use in permanent or loose covers, will normally have to pass a match resistance test

filling materials for all furniture must pass ignitability tests as specified in the regulations

All new upholstered furniture (except mattresses and bedding) and loose and stretch covers for furniture must carry a permanent label detailing compliance with fire safety requirements. Always look for these labels before buying any upholstered furniture for your property.

You could consider buying furniture designed to cope with a greater fire hazard (eg hotel beds and chairs). When re-equipping your self-catering property, it will normally be for you to decide if you require the new furniture to meet these higher fire resistance standards. If you are in doubt, check with your local fire authority.

Electrical safety

Electrical safety laws apply to most electrical equipment in your accommodation. This includes:

toasters

kettles

TVs

lamps

radios

The laws apply to new and second-hand equipment equally.

If you are making the equipment available for your guests to use, you will be liable for their safety. For electrical equipment to be regarded as safe, there should be no risk (or only a minimal risk) that the equipment could cause death or injury to any person, or cause damage to property.

Whilst not a legal requirement, you should regularly check and service the electrical goods you supply in your accommodation to ensure their safety.

Gas safety

You must have gas appliances, installation pipework or flue installed in your premises in accordance with manufacturer's instructions. You must maintain them in a safe condition. A Gas Safe engineer must inspect them at least once a year.
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Food and drink laws in tourism businesses

Information to help you comply with food safety laws if you offer food or drink to your guests.
If you wish to carry out any 'food operations' in the course of your accommodation business, you must register your premises with your local council's environmental health department. You must do so at least 28 days before your business opens.

Food operations include selling, cooking, storing, handling, preparing and distributing food and drink.

If you're serving food to your guests, you also need to ensure that you comply with other relevant laws relating to food safety, hygiene and labelling. Find detailed information on each below.

Hygiene for food businesses - store food correctly ensuring good hygiene and comply with health standards

food law and enforcement - an introduction for food business operators to food law and food hygiene laws, and how they are enforced

labelling food products - labelling requirements

Starting and running a food business - food safety and best practice for food businesses, including ideas for healthier catering

Liquor licensing

If you wish to sell alcohol on your premises, you will need an alcohol licence.
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Discrimination and equality in tourism businesses

Disability and discrimination laws for accommodation providers and what they mean for your business.
If you provide any sort of accommodation in Northern Ireland, serviced or self-catering, you have duties under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

Under this law, you must not discriminate against disabled people using your goods, facilities or services. You must treat everyone fairly, regardless of their:

age

gender

race

sexual orientation

disability

gender reassignment

religion

belief

political opinion

You can't refuse to serve people with disabilities or provide them a lower standard of service, unless this can be justified.

You may need to make 'reasonable adjustments' to any barriers that may prevent a person with disabilities using or accessing their service.

What is 'reasonable' will depend on a number of factors, including the cost of an adjustment. Think ahead and take steps to address barriers that impede disabled people. This can include:

making 'reasonable' changes to the way things are done - things that put disabled people at a disadvantage, eg no dogs policy

making 'reasonable' changes to the built environment - eg altering the structure of a building to improve access

providing auxiliary aids and services, eg information in an accessible format, an induction loop for customers with hearing aids, etc

See disabled access and facilities in business premises.

The Equality Commission offer advice and information to service providers on their duties under equality law.
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Employment in tourism businesses

Employment law and best practice resources that can help you run your tourism business lawfully and efficiently.
If you employ staff in your tourism business, or are thinking of doing so in the future, there are a number of things that you will need to consider.

The guides below can help you comply with the relevant employment laws, and provide you with best practice know-how for managing your staff:

taking on staff - make effective recruitment decisions and get the right people in place

HR documents and templates - downloadable forms, checklists and sample documents to help you with your day-to-day HR practices

the employment contract - understand the basic elements of a contract of employment as required by law

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - ensure that you're paying your employees the correct minimum hourly rate

ensuring your workers are eligible to work in the UK - if you employ migrant workers, make sure you check their entitlement to work in the UK

prevent discrimination and value diversity - understand and keep on the right side of the laws that ban unfair treatment of staff

working time - the rules about working hours and how best to manage them

holiday, sickness and other leave - comply with legislation related to leave entitlement and allowing time off work

handling grievances - develop grievance procedures and put them into practice to resolve problems effectively

dismissals, resignations and retirements - manage staff leaving and dismissal fairly and correctly

staff training and development - guidance on how to train your staff to improve their skills

zero-hours contracts - your responsibilities and the advantages and disadvantages of zero-hours contracts
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Keeping a guest register in your tourist accommodation business

Why you must keep a guest register if you run a hotel, bed and breakfast, hostel or any other accommodation business, and what you need to record in it.
If you run a serviced or self-catering accommodation business, you must keep a record of all guests over the age of 16. This can take the form of a registration form, or can be recorded electronically.

You must keep each guest's details for at least 12 months and have the register available for inspection by police or other authorised persons at all time.

What do I need to record?

On guests' arrival, you need to record:

the guests' full name and address

the guests' nationality

arrival and departure dates

If your guests are using your car parking facilities, you may also want to take record of the registration number of their car. However, you aren't legally required to do so.

Data protection

When keeping a guest register, even if it's just names and contact details, you must protect your guests' privacy under the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).
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Tourist accommodation: reselling electricity, gas and utilities

The rules for reselling gas and electricity, charging for telephone calls and providing water from private supply.
When you're running a tourist accommodation business, the costs and responsibilities of providing utilities to your guests are one of the factors you will need to consider.

The resale of electricity

If you are reselling electricity to your guests that has already been bought from an authorised electricity supplier, the most you can charge is limited by law.

You can only resell electricity at the same price you bought it. You are not allowed to charge guests more money for electricity than you paid for it.

This rule does not apply if you charge your guests an inclusive charge for accommodation, eg one that includes 'all amenities' and does not specify separate charge for electricity.

The resale of gas

As with electricity, you may only resell gas at the same price that you bought it. You aren't allowed to charge your guests more for gas than you originally paid for it.

Download guidance for resellers of electricity and gas (PDF, 307KB).

Private water supplies

If you use or provide water from a private supply to other people in the course of your business, eg by renting out holiday accommodation or using water for food production, you have a duty of care towards these people for the safety of the water you supply.

In these circumstances, you must register your supply with the Northern Ireland Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI).

Once you register your private water supply, the DWI will assess it for contamination risk and place it on a monitoring programme to check that it meets the water quality standards.

Telephone call charging

As a matter of good practice, you should be as open as possible with guests about telephone charges.

You should indicate clearly typical usage rates for bedroom telephones. These should include examples of costs per unit and length of time that unit represents.

You should display charges for:

peak and off-peak calls

local and domestic calls

international calls
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Tourist accommodation: responsibility for guest's belongings and luggage

Your responsibilities for safekeeping, and your rights to retain, your guest's belongings.
If you run serviced accommodation, such as a bed and breakfast or a hotel, you must take responsibility for looking after your guest's luggage. In some cases, you may have the legal right to keep your guest's luggage if they don't pay their bill.

Your responsibility for luggage and belongings

If you run a hotel and have a guest for at least one night, you could be liable for loss and damage to your guest's property. This will depend on certain factors:

You may not be liable where the loss or damage to the property is caused by the guest themselves or by an 'act of God' (eg a flood).

You may be fully liable where the loss or damage to the guest's property is caused solely by your (or your staff's) neglect or actions. You are also responsible if the goods are given to you for safekeeping. You are liable if you were offered the property for safekeeping and you refused.

You may limit your liability by displaying a notice about loss of or damage to guest's property. This applies when the loss or damage to the guest's property does not fit into either of the above categories. The notice must be in a prominent place near the main entrance or reception area. You may then be liable to pay damages of £50 per item and £100 maximum per person. This does not cover vehicles, any property left in the vehicles, or live animals.

What if the guest did not stay overnight?

If your guest didn't stay overnight and was, for example, simply visiting the restaurant or bar, you will usually be liable for the loss of or damage to your guest's property only if:

you or your staff have been negligent

the guest handed the property over to you for safekeeping

Your right to retain a guest's luggage

In certain circumstances, serviced accommodation providers may have the right to detain a guest's luggage.

The owner of a hotel (as defined in the Hotel Proprietors Act (Northern Ireland) 1958) has the legal right to keep a guest's property until the guest settles their bill. This does not include the guest's car or property left in it; or clothes that the guest is wearing.

When the guest settles their bill, you must return the property to them. You cannot charge for storage. You must reimburse the guest if the property has been damaged while you had it.

If the bill has not been paid in full after six weeks, you may sell the guest's property at a public auction, advertised at least four weeks in advance. If the sale makes more money than what is owed to you (including the costs of advertising and organising the auction), you must return the excess to the guest.

Another option for getting what's owed to you is claiming it through the small claims procedure.
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Data protection in tourism businesses

All tourist accommodation businesses must keep a guest register – be aware of your responsibilities to keep this data secure.

All serviced and self-catering accommodation premises must keep a record of all guests over the age of 16. The record should include full name and nationality. See keeping a guest register in your tourist accommodation business.

When keeping a guest register, even if it's just names and contact details, you must protect your guests' privacy under data protection law. The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) sets out the key principles, rights and obligations for processing of personal data.

Data security and credit cards

If you handle customer's credit/debit card number, you must follow the standards of the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council. The standard is applicable to any organisation that stores, transmits or processes cardholder information.

Find out how to protect your customers and achieve the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance; See accepting online payments.

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Cultural and heritage tourism

dcomisso — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 17:11:13 +0000

Cultural and heritage tourism dcomisso Tue, 18/02/2014 - 17:11

Niche tourism opportunities

In this guide:

Niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland

The range of new and emerging niche tourism opportunities in Northern Ireland, such as food, screen, cultural and golf tourism.
There are several niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland.

What is niche tourism?

Niche tourism is tourism that is tailored to the needs or interests of a particular audience. This could mean targeting a tourism experience at groups with particular hobbies such as hiking. It could involve providing services to meet the needs of groups such as dog-owners or cyclists. You can take advantage of niche tourism by creating experiences for those with interests such as literature or local food.

Niche tourism provides a way for your business to stand out from competitors. It allows you to appeal strongly to particular market segments. Niche tourism audiences may be large or small. Consider the value of a niche tourism sector by researching how large the audience is and how much they typically spend.

Key niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland

Important local niche tourism markets include:

activities and nature-based tourism

golf tourism

food tourism

craft tourism

sustainable tourism

cultural and heritage tourism

screen tourism (such as Game of Thrones)

business tourism

This is not an exhaustive list, but simply gives a 'flavour' of the range of niche markets currently represented in Northern Ireland.
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Activities and nature-based tourism

The niche market of activity and nature tourism is growing in Northern Ireland. It includes hiking, cycling, climbing, birdwatching, walking and canoeing.
Northern Ireland has a growing activities tourism market. Its natural beauty and reputation for hospitality make it an ideal setting for this type of trip.

Some examples include:

garden and forests

cycling and mountain biking

walking and hiking

fishing

canoeing and water sports

Types of activity tourism

Activity tourism generally combines:

physical activity or adventure

cultural exchange or interaction

engagement with nature

The market is commonly made up of:

hard adventure activities such as climbing, trekking and mountain biking

soft adventure activities such as walking tours, city bike tours, canoe hire or camping

Soft activities make the majority of the market as they:

appeal to a wider range of people

require less physical output than hard activities

generally have lower perceived or real risks

are easily adapted for different visitors, eg families

Many activities, such as walking, hiking and cycling, are typically free to access and so do not have a value market size in their own right. However, they enhance the visitor experience and can increase opportunities for visitors to spend. this type of visitor will spend money on food, drink and accommodation.

Tourism opportunities

Golf is currently a 'key draw' activity for Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and overseas visitors to Northern Ireland. See golf tourism.

For other business sector insights, see tourism insights.
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Golf tourism

The golf tourism market in Northern Ireland and how clubs and other businesses can take advantage of opportunities.
Northern Ireland is increasingly becoming known as a world class golf destination. Events such as the Irish Open 2017 and The Open Championship 2019 have helped to highlight Northern Ireland as a golfing destination. The success of local golfers like Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke have also raised the profile of golf in Northern Ireland.

The Open Championship 2019 in Portrush drew in 237,750 spectators. This made it the second-highest attended Open championship of all time.

Northern Ireland's golfing appeal lies in its diversity and the quality of its courses.

Opportunities

There are opportunities for golf courses to attract more overseas visitors and host major events. Other businesses such as those in the hospitality and transport sectors can also benefit. For every £1 spent by visitors on green fees,they spend a further £4.

Some of the opportunities for golf clubs include:

developing clusters that allow visitors to play several different courses during their trip

creating partnerships with hotels and restaurants to offer package breaks

promoting offers on tourism websites and through online tour operators

The opportunities for other businesses include:

holding golf exhibitions, workshops and talks

providing hospitality and transport during major golf events

working with clubs to offer package deals to golf tourists

Northern Ireland's positon as a leading golf destination can also help to increase the business travel market. This will create further business opportunities.
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Food tourism

The value of the food tourism market and resources to help your business take advantage of the opportunities.
Food is vital to the Northern Ireland tourism offering. It is as important as accommodation, culture and scenery for those wishing to immerse themselves in the Northern Ireland experience.

Recent research indicates that the Northern Ireland food tourism is now worth £350 million annually to the local economy.

Artisan food presents a chance to showcase local ingredients and dishes. It presents gift and souvenir opportunities for tourists.

Opportunities

If your business depends on selling, producing or serving food, the opportunities within the tourism industry are vital to consider. This includes:

eating establishments

pubs

open farms

food producers

cookery schools

food festivals

food and farmer's markets

other key operators in the local agri-food industry

For more information on taking advantage of food tourism opportunities, see food tourism opportunities.
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Craft tourism

Northern Ireland’s traditional crafts and artisan produce presents a unique tourism opportunity – crafts are part of visitor’s cultural tourism experience.
Visitors to Northern Ireland want to enjoy an authentic cultural experience. Traditional crafts and artisan produce can form part of this experience. The craft sector in Northern Ireland includes over 400 skilled producers.

Examples of local crafts include:

local food products such as black pudding, rapeseed oil, cheese and soda bread

handmade jewellery

homeware such as Irish linen products

artwork such as painting, photography and sculpture

craft beer and spirits

woodwork and furniture

Craft tourism opportunities

There are opportunities for craft producers to diversify their business by adding a tourism element. Examples include:

workspace tours and production demonstrations

special workshops and classes, eg bread-making or embroidery

attending events such as fairs and festivals

Craft producers can get help to offer a tourism experience by becoming an official ÉCONOMUSÉE. This involves opening your workshop to the public and meeting certain criteria such as displaying an exhibition and selling your products on site. Read more about ÉCONOMUSÉEs in Northern Ireland.

The following organisations offer guidance to craft businesses:

Craft NI run initiatives such as August Craft Month

Food NI promote local food producers

Arts Council of Northern Ireland offer funding and development opportunities for artists
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Sustainable tourism

How to take a sustainable approach to tourism and green accreditation and future trends in the sector to take advantage of the growing trend of sustainable tourism.
Sustainability is a growing global trend across a whole range of industries around the world.

In tourism, sustainability is a practice of trying to:

make as low an impact as possible on the environment and local culture

helping to generate income and employment for the local economy

What does it mean in practice?

Sustainable tourism is not the same as eco-tourism or green tourism, which focus on conservation and the environment. Rather than being a 'tourism product', sustainable tourism is a way of doing things. The aim is to protect and ensure the future of the local tourism industry.

There are many clear benefits to sustainability including:

cost savings

increased profitability

improved reputation

access to an increasing market of environment- and culture- conscious customers

Going Green

Small steps in your business can help you make it more sustainable, from:

minimising your business waste

improving energy and water efficiency

increasing community engagement

sourcing local produce

For more advice to help you embrace sustainable practices in your business, see make your business more sustainable. For hotels, see use resources efficiently in your hotel.

Green accreditation

Green Tourism Certification is the largest and most established scheme of its kind in the world, recognised by both UK national and regional government as a key part of its drive towards sustainability. See Green Tourism Certification.

Future trends

Tourism NI expects the theme of sustainability to be central to the global tourism industry in years to come. They highlight a number of opportunities for local tourism providers, including:

keeping in local, ie sourcing produce, staff and services from your vicinity

promoting your green credentials for greatest impact and increased business

meeting demands of particular demographic, eg eco-conscious and health focused individuals
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Cultural and heritage tourism

Niche tourism markets such as screen, music and literary tourism provide opportunities for Northern Ireland businesses.
Northern Ireland's culture is a key attraction for visitors choosing the region as their holiday destination.

In broad terms, cultural tourism includes:

built and historical heritage, such as castles and estates

cultural heritage, eg museums and galleries

contemporary culture, eg music, film, TV and fashion

Businesses can benefit by simply being in the proximity of a cultural or a heritage location, building or an event. They can also take a more proactive approach and integrate cultural and heritage experiences in their new and existing tourism products.

Screen tourism

Screen tourism is on the rise. The market has been boosted by the success of HBO's Game of Thrones, and productions such as Line of Duty and The Fall. Screen tourism is making a lasting impact on the local Northern Ireland economy. It presents local businesses with a wealth of new opportunities. See screen tourism opportunities.

Music

Northern Ireland has a strong music offering. This ranges from traditional music to more contemporary music. Music plays a key role in local nightlife and at events and festivals. There is also has a wide range of music venues from small intimate sites, to large facilities which can host major international acts.

Derry~Londonderry's walls

A rarity in the UK, Derry~Londonderry's walls present great opportunities for local hospitality businesses and walking tour operators.

Events and festivals

Northern Ireland has an established ability to attract and host world-class international events, and bring with them many international and domestic visitors.

Events tourism opens up opportunities in all sectors of the industry, from event organisation and logistics, to accommodation, hospitality and transport.

Literary tourism

Northern Ireland literary scene offers huge tourism opportunities. The region has been home to world-renowned authors such as C.S. Lewis, Seamus Heaney, Marie Jones and Brian Friel.

Visitors can walk in the footsteps of literary giants and explore areas that inspired them through experiences like:

walking tours

quirky bookstores

festivals

theatre productions

poetry readings
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Screen tourism

With world renowned productions being filmed in Northern Ireland, the screen tourism industry is growing market – find out how businesses can take advantage.
Northern Ireland is an increasingly popular filming location. Its attraction is the variety of its landscape and the local expertise in the film industry. This brings opportunities for tourism services and the hospitality industries.

In recent years, films such as Good Vibrations and Dracula Untold and TV productions like Game of Thrones and The Fall have been filmed in Northern Ireland. Films connected with Northern Ireland provide chances to create tourism experiences for a wide range of customers. Screen tourism is a growing trend and tourists enjoy visiting the landscapes and architecture that they see on screen.

Research suggests that that one in four adults choose their next holiday destination based on TV or film (Source: HBO). This creates potential for tourism businesses. Following the release of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it was reported that there was a 50 per cent increase in visitors to New Zealand where it was filmed.

Screen tourism opportunities

There are a number of ways that Northern Ireland tourism businesses can capitalise on local film and television production, including:

themed visitor experiences and activities

location tours

events like screenings and live action roleplays at filming locations

themed food events

themed package breaks

accommodation for visitors attracted through screen tourism

accommodation and services to crews filming on location

If your business is near a filming location, use this to add value to your existing tourism experiences. Sign posts and photo boards are important markers for tourists. Offer photo opportunities for visitors who can share these on social media.

If you are offering an experience relating to a particular production, detailed knowledge is vital for authenticity. Fans will appreciate any "insider knowledge" you can share about the production.

Find out more in our screen tourism opportunities guide.

Support for screen tourism

Tourism NI offer guidance for business offering screen tourism experiences, particularly Game of Thrones.

Northern Ireland Screen can share details if filming locations (and in some cases photography) and can partner with other organisations for tourism initiatives and events. See the production catalogue for a list of all past, current and upcoming Northern Ireland Screen funded productions. This includes a list of filming locations for each production.

See screen tourism business help and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ.

Game of Thrones

HBO's Game of Thrones, filmed in Northern Ireland, is one of the most popular and successful TV series ever made. It has provided opportunities for the NI tourism industry. Many businesses have already created visitor experiences relating to the TV series.

See Game of Thrones tourism in Northern Ireland.
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Business tourism

Business tourism opportunities for tourism providers in Northern Ireland, including the growing incentive travel market.
Business tourism is part of what is known as the MICE sector, which stands for:

meetings

incentive travel

conferences

events

Business tourism is a growing sector in Northern Ireland. It can provide opportunities for your business. It can also help to grow the local leisure tourism market as business visitors may return with their families.

See organising events in Northern Ireland.

Incentive travel

Companies sometimes want to reward their employees or partners with trips away. This market is known as incentive travel. It differs from leisure tourism as the visitors have not paid for the trip themselves, and probably haven't had a say in the planning.

Incentive travel provides opportunities for:

accommodation providers

event venues

tourist experiences

transport businesses

restaurant, bars and hospitality businesses

entertainment providers

Usually before an incentive trip is booked, there will be a familiarisation (fam) trip to the destination. This is your chance to impress the potential clients. Fam trips work best when the various providers, destination management companies (DMCs) and other destination stakeholders work together.

Some things that can set you apart to incentive travel buyers include:

provide a unique, authentic experience

offer exclusive options that aren't available to leisure guests

think creatively when offering event space

pay close attention to detail

provide a personalised service to make the trip special

research your guests and meet their specific needs (eg hobbies, food preferences)
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Creating tourism experiences

Use Tourism NI's Creating Experiences Toolkit to develop your tourism product and create authentic experiences for your visitors.
Tourists are increasingly seeking out authentic experiences. They want to make the most of their time away. They do this by:

connecting with local people

immersing themselves into local culture

enjoying local food and drink

exploring local geography and places of interest

This trend provides the tourism industry with a new type of visitor. One who is an active participant in the experience and is seeking more than just a packaged tour, a hotel room or a scenic view.

Tourism NI has produced an experience development toolkit, Northern Ireland - Embrace a Giant Spirit. The toolkit gives step-by-step guidance on creating experiences that embrace the giant spirit.

Access the Northern Ireland - Embrace a Giant Spirit experience development toolkit.

See a video introduction to Creating Experiences. Source: Tourism NI
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Niche tourism opportunities

Taking advantage of craft tourism opportunities - The Steensons

Brona Steenson, Director of Steensons Jewellers, explains how the business takes advantage of craft tourism opportunities.

Craftsmanship is a key business focus of the Steensons design and craft jewellery. The designs, sold in their Glenarm workshop and Belfast store, combine traditional techniques with new technologies.

Brona Steenson, Director of Steensons Jewellers, explains how the business takes advantage of craft tourism opportunities.

Craft tourism in Northern Ireland

"I think Northern Ireland has been put on the map for its creative industries over the last decade, because of Game of Thrones. Although it's a small place, there is a large percentage of people working within the craft and art industries. Also, you don't have to travel far to see wide-ranging areas of natural beauty, so the ease of seeing local crafts against the backdrop of the surrounding area is a big draw for visitors."

Consider your location

"What seems to appeal to visitors about our business is our unusual designs. Our designs, handcrafted in Northern Ireland, mean that visitors get the chance to take home something that is locally-made and unique to the area. Since moving the location of the Glenarm workshop to a more prominent place within the village, we have benefited from the increase in tourism - our footfall tripled and our turnover doubled. Location is key. We are now close to a car park and visitor centre, which means that tourists arriving by car, as well as small coach and taxi tours, often stop with us."

Connect with local networks

"We are part of the Causeway Coast and Glens ECOMUSEE network, which welcomes the public to see the skill of our craft in action. The term 'ECONMUSEE' means 'working museum', however the local network prefer the term 'artisans at work' as we feel that explains what we offer. Other businesses in this local network specialise in the areas of arts, crafts and agri-food. They similarly use their craft to promote cultural heritage and sustain traditional skills.

We find the main benefit of the ECOMUSEE network is the networking side of things, plus the exchange of ideas on the promotion of our and each other's business."

Identify new opportunities

"Our work with Game of Thrones started when they commissioned us to create a chain of office piece for the first series in 2008. Following that, we made crowns and various pieces over the years. Soon after this people arriving at the workshop wanted to talk about Game of Thrones which came with some challenges. Visitors would spend time discussing the show but they weren't interested in buying our products. I realised that we needed to offer something with a connection to the Game of Thrones that they would be prepared to buy, so I approached HBO about developing a licensed product. This was a long process but worth it in the end. Our Game of Thrones product range has been a success and the fans that visit us, do buy it."

Promote your business

"We market predominately to a local market advertising to them through billboards, buses and publications. Overall about 30 per cent of our sales comes from visitors - mostly at our Glenarm workshop. We advertise in a brochure that is handed out on cruise ships and also in hotel magazines and hardback books. Our website is by far our biggest advertising tool. We are actively promote on social media, mainly Facebook. We are trying to increase our Instagram presence, as we like to explore the success of different promotional channels."

Case Study
Brona Steenson

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Sustainable tourism

dcomisso — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 17:06:16 +0000

Sustainable tourism dcomisso Tue, 18/02/2014 - 17:06

Niche tourism opportunities

In this guide:

Niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland

The range of new and emerging niche tourism opportunities in Northern Ireland, such as food, screen, cultural and golf tourism.
There are several niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland.

What is niche tourism?

Niche tourism is tourism that is tailored to the needs or interests of a particular audience. This could mean targeting a tourism experience at groups with particular hobbies such as hiking. It could involve providing services to meet the needs of groups such as dog-owners or cyclists. You can take advantage of niche tourism by creating experiences for those with interests such as literature or local food.

Niche tourism provides a way for your business to stand out from competitors. It allows you to appeal strongly to particular market segments. Niche tourism audiences may be large or small. Consider the value of a niche tourism sector by researching how large the audience is and how much they typically spend.

Key niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland

Important local niche tourism markets include:

activities and nature-based tourism

golf tourism

food tourism

craft tourism

sustainable tourism

cultural and heritage tourism

screen tourism (such as Game of Thrones)

business tourism

This is not an exhaustive list, but simply gives a 'flavour' of the range of niche markets currently represented in Northern Ireland.
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Activities and nature-based tourism

The niche market of activity and nature tourism is growing in Northern Ireland. It includes hiking, cycling, climbing, birdwatching, walking and canoeing.
Northern Ireland has a growing activities tourism market. Its natural beauty and reputation for hospitality make it an ideal setting for this type of trip.

Some examples include:

garden and forests

cycling and mountain biking

walking and hiking

fishing

canoeing and water sports

Types of activity tourism

Activity tourism generally combines:

physical activity or adventure

cultural exchange or interaction

engagement with nature

The market is commonly made up of:

hard adventure activities such as climbing, trekking and mountain biking

soft adventure activities such as walking tours, city bike tours, canoe hire or camping

Soft activities make the majority of the market as they:

appeal to a wider range of people

require less physical output than hard activities

generally have lower perceived or real risks

are easily adapted for different visitors, eg families

Many activities, such as walking, hiking and cycling, are typically free to access and so do not have a value market size in their own right. However, they enhance the visitor experience and can increase opportunities for visitors to spend. this type of visitor will spend money on food, drink and accommodation.

Tourism opportunities

Golf is currently a 'key draw' activity for Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and overseas visitors to Northern Ireland. See golf tourism.

For other business sector insights, see tourism insights.
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Golf tourism

The golf tourism market in Northern Ireland and how clubs and other businesses can take advantage of opportunities.
Northern Ireland is increasingly becoming known as a world class golf destination. Events such as the Irish Open 2017 and The Open Championship 2019 have helped to highlight Northern Ireland as a golfing destination. The success of local golfers like Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke have also raised the profile of golf in Northern Ireland.

The Open Championship 2019 in Portrush drew in 237,750 spectators. This made it the second-highest attended Open championship of all time.

Northern Ireland's golfing appeal lies in its diversity and the quality of its courses.

Opportunities

There are opportunities for golf courses to attract more overseas visitors and host major events. Other businesses such as those in the hospitality and transport sectors can also benefit. For every £1 spent by visitors on green fees,they spend a further £4.

Some of the opportunities for golf clubs include:

developing clusters that allow visitors to play several different courses during their trip

creating partnerships with hotels and restaurants to offer package breaks

promoting offers on tourism websites and through online tour operators

The opportunities for other businesses include:

holding golf exhibitions, workshops and talks

providing hospitality and transport during major golf events

working with clubs to offer package deals to golf tourists

Northern Ireland's positon as a leading golf destination can also help to increase the business travel market. This will create further business opportunities.
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Food tourism

The value of the food tourism market and resources to help your business take advantage of the opportunities.
Food is vital to the Northern Ireland tourism offering. It is as important as accommodation, culture and scenery for those wishing to immerse themselves in the Northern Ireland experience.

Recent research indicates that the Northern Ireland food tourism is now worth £350 million annually to the local economy.

Artisan food presents a chance to showcase local ingredients and dishes. It presents gift and souvenir opportunities for tourists.

Opportunities

If your business depends on selling, producing or serving food, the opportunities within the tourism industry are vital to consider. This includes:

eating establishments

pubs

open farms

food producers

cookery schools

food festivals

food and farmer's markets

other key operators in the local agri-food industry

For more information on taking advantage of food tourism opportunities, see food tourism opportunities.
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Craft tourism

Northern Ireland’s traditional crafts and artisan produce presents a unique tourism opportunity – crafts are part of visitor’s cultural tourism experience.
Visitors to Northern Ireland want to enjoy an authentic cultural experience. Traditional crafts and artisan produce can form part of this experience. The craft sector in Northern Ireland includes over 400 skilled producers.

Examples of local crafts include:

local food products such as black pudding, rapeseed oil, cheese and soda bread

handmade jewellery

homeware such as Irish linen products

artwork such as painting, photography and sculpture

craft beer and spirits

woodwork and furniture

Craft tourism opportunities

There are opportunities for craft producers to diversify their business by adding a tourism element. Examples include:

workspace tours and production demonstrations

special workshops and classes, eg bread-making or embroidery

attending events such as fairs and festivals

Craft producers can get help to offer a tourism experience by becoming an official ÉCONOMUSÉE. This involves opening your workshop to the public and meeting certain criteria such as displaying an exhibition and selling your products on site. Read more about ÉCONOMUSÉEs in Northern Ireland.

The following organisations offer guidance to craft businesses:

Craft NI run initiatives such as August Craft Month

Food NI promote local food producers

Arts Council of Northern Ireland offer funding and development opportunities for artists
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Creative industries in Northern Ireland

Creative business 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ and funding

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Sustainable tourism

How to take a sustainable approach to tourism and green accreditation and future trends in the sector to take advantage of the growing trend of sustainable tourism.
Sustainability is a growing global trend across a whole range of industries around the world.

In tourism, sustainability is a practice of trying to:

make as low an impact as possible on the environment and local culture

helping to generate income and employment for the local economy

What does it mean in practice?

Sustainable tourism is not the same as eco-tourism or green tourism, which focus on conservation and the environment. Rather than being a 'tourism product', sustainable tourism is a way of doing things. The aim is to protect and ensure the future of the local tourism industry.

There are many clear benefits to sustainability including:

cost savings

increased profitability

improved reputation

access to an increasing market of environment- and culture- conscious customers

Going Green

Small steps in your business can help you make it more sustainable, from:

minimising your business waste

improving energy and water efficiency

increasing community engagement

sourcing local produce

For more advice to help you embrace sustainable practices in your business, see make your business more sustainable. For hotels, see use resources efficiently in your hotel.

Green accreditation

Green Tourism Certification is the largest and most established scheme of its kind in the world, recognised by both UK national and regional government as a key part of its drive towards sustainability. See Green Tourism Certification.

Future trends

Tourism NI expects the theme of sustainability to be central to the global tourism industry in years to come. They highlight a number of opportunities for local tourism providers, including:

keeping in local, ie sourcing produce, staff and services from your vicinity

promoting your green credentials for greatest impact and increased business

meeting demands of particular demographic, eg eco-conscious and health focused individuals
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Cultural and heritage tourism

Niche tourism markets such as screen, music and literary tourism provide opportunities for Northern Ireland businesses.
Northern Ireland's culture is a key attraction for visitors choosing the region as their holiday destination.

In broad terms, cultural tourism includes:

built and historical heritage, such as castles and estates

cultural heritage, eg museums and galleries

contemporary culture, eg music, film, TV and fashion

Businesses can benefit by simply being in the proximity of a cultural or a heritage location, building or an event. They can also take a more proactive approach and integrate cultural and heritage experiences in their new and existing tourism products.

Screen tourism

Screen tourism is on the rise. The market has been boosted by the success of HBO's Game of Thrones, and productions such as Line of Duty and The Fall. Screen tourism is making a lasting impact on the local Northern Ireland economy. It presents local businesses with a wealth of new opportunities. See screen tourism opportunities.

Music

Northern Ireland has a strong music offering. This ranges from traditional music to more contemporary music. Music plays a key role in local nightlife and at events and festivals. There is also has a wide range of music venues from small intimate sites, to large facilities which can host major international acts.

Derry~Londonderry's walls

A rarity in the UK, Derry~Londonderry's walls present great opportunities for local hospitality businesses and walking tour operators.

Events and festivals

Northern Ireland has an established ability to attract and host world-class international events, and bring with them many international and domestic visitors.

Events tourism opens up opportunities in all sectors of the industry, from event organisation and logistics, to accommodation, hospitality and transport.

Literary tourism

Northern Ireland literary scene offers huge tourism opportunities. The region has been home to world-renowned authors such as C.S. Lewis, Seamus Heaney, Marie Jones and Brian Friel.

Visitors can walk in the footsteps of literary giants and explore areas that inspired them through experiences like:

walking tours

quirky bookstores

festivals

theatre productions

poetry readings
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Screen tourism

With world renowned productions being filmed in Northern Ireland, the screen tourism industry is growing market – find out how businesses can take advantage.
Northern Ireland is an increasingly popular filming location. Its attraction is the variety of its landscape and the local expertise in the film industry. This brings opportunities for tourism services and the hospitality industries.

In recent years, films such as Good Vibrations and Dracula Untold and TV productions like Game of Thrones and The Fall have been filmed in Northern Ireland. Films connected with Northern Ireland provide chances to create tourism experiences for a wide range of customers. Screen tourism is a growing trend and tourists enjoy visiting the landscapes and architecture that they see on screen.

Research suggests that that one in four adults choose their next holiday destination based on TV or film (Source: HBO). This creates potential for tourism businesses. Following the release of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it was reported that there was a 50 per cent increase in visitors to New Zealand where it was filmed.

Screen tourism opportunities

There are a number of ways that Northern Ireland tourism businesses can capitalise on local film and television production, including:

themed visitor experiences and activities

location tours

events like screenings and live action roleplays at filming locations

themed food events

themed package breaks

accommodation for visitors attracted through screen tourism

accommodation and services to crews filming on location

If your business is near a filming location, use this to add value to your existing tourism experiences. Sign posts and photo boards are important markers for tourists. Offer photo opportunities for visitors who can share these on social media.

If you are offering an experience relating to a particular production, detailed knowledge is vital for authenticity. Fans will appreciate any "insider knowledge" you can share about the production.

Find out more in our screen tourism opportunities guide.

Support for screen tourism

Tourism NI offer guidance for business offering screen tourism experiences, particularly Game of Thrones.

Northern Ireland Screen can share details if filming locations (and in some cases photography) and can partner with other organisations for tourism initiatives and events. See the production catalogue for a list of all past, current and upcoming Northern Ireland Screen funded productions. This includes a list of filming locations for each production.

See screen tourism business help and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ.

Game of Thrones

HBO's Game of Thrones, filmed in Northern Ireland, is one of the most popular and successful TV series ever made. It has provided opportunities for the NI tourism industry. Many businesses have already created visitor experiences relating to the TV series.

See Game of Thrones tourism in Northern Ireland.
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Business tourism

Business tourism opportunities for tourism providers in Northern Ireland, including the growing incentive travel market.
Business tourism is part of what is known as the MICE sector, which stands for:

meetings

incentive travel

conferences

events

Business tourism is a growing sector in Northern Ireland. It can provide opportunities for your business. It can also help to grow the local leisure tourism market as business visitors may return with their families.

See organising events in Northern Ireland.

Incentive travel

Companies sometimes want to reward their employees or partners with trips away. This market is known as incentive travel. It differs from leisure tourism as the visitors have not paid for the trip themselves, and probably haven't had a say in the planning.

Incentive travel provides opportunities for:

accommodation providers

event venues

tourist experiences

transport businesses

restaurant, bars and hospitality businesses

entertainment providers

Usually before an incentive trip is booked, there will be a familiarisation (fam) trip to the destination. This is your chance to impress the potential clients. Fam trips work best when the various providers, destination management companies (DMCs) and other destination stakeholders work together.

Some things that can set you apart to incentive travel buyers include:

provide a unique, authentic experience

offer exclusive options that aren't available to leisure guests

think creatively when offering event space

pay close attention to detail

provide a personalised service to make the trip special

research your guests and meet their specific needs (eg hobbies, food preferences)
Actions

Business tourism 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ

Society for Incentive Travel Excellence

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Creating tourism experiences

Use Tourism NI's Creating Experiences Toolkit to develop your tourism product and create authentic experiences for your visitors.
Tourists are increasingly seeking out authentic experiences. They want to make the most of their time away. They do this by:

connecting with local people

immersing themselves into local culture

enjoying local food and drink

exploring local geography and places of interest

This trend provides the tourism industry with a new type of visitor. One who is an active participant in the experience and is seeking more than just a packaged tour, a hotel room or a scenic view.

Tourism NI has produced an experience development toolkit, Northern Ireland - Embrace a Giant Spirit. The toolkit gives step-by-step guidance on creating experiences that embrace the giant spirit.

Access the Northern Ireland - Embrace a Giant Spirit experience development toolkit.

See a video introduction to Creating Experiences. Source: Tourism NI
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Niche tourism opportunities

Taking advantage of craft tourism opportunities - The Steensons

Brona Steenson, Director of Steensons Jewellers, explains how the business takes advantage of craft tourism opportunities.

Craftsmanship is a key business focus of the Steensons design and craft jewellery. The designs, sold in their Glenarm workshop and Belfast store, combine traditional techniques with new technologies.

Brona Steenson, Director of Steensons Jewellers, explains how the business takes advantage of craft tourism opportunities.

Craft tourism in Northern Ireland

"I think Northern Ireland has been put on the map for its creative industries over the last decade, because of Game of Thrones. Although it's a small place, there is a large percentage of people working within the craft and art industries. Also, you don't have to travel far to see wide-ranging areas of natural beauty, so the ease of seeing local crafts against the backdrop of the surrounding area is a big draw for visitors."

Consider your location

"What seems to appeal to visitors about our business is our unusual designs. Our designs, handcrafted in Northern Ireland, mean that visitors get the chance to take home something that is locally-made and unique to the area. Since moving the location of the Glenarm workshop to a more prominent place within the village, we have benefited from the increase in tourism - our footfall tripled and our turnover doubled. Location is key. We are now close to a car park and visitor centre, which means that tourists arriving by car, as well as small coach and taxi tours, often stop with us."

Connect with local networks

"We are part of the Causeway Coast and Glens ECOMUSEE network, which welcomes the public to see the skill of our craft in action. The term 'ECONMUSEE' means 'working museum', however the local network prefer the term 'artisans at work' as we feel that explains what we offer. Other businesses in this local network specialise in the areas of arts, crafts and agri-food. They similarly use their craft to promote cultural heritage and sustain traditional skills.

We find the main benefit of the ECOMUSEE network is the networking side of things, plus the exchange of ideas on the promotion of our and each other's business."

Identify new opportunities

"Our work with Game of Thrones started when they commissioned us to create a chain of office piece for the first series in 2008. Following that, we made crowns and various pieces over the years. Soon after this people arriving at the workshop wanted to talk about Game of Thrones which came with some challenges. Visitors would spend time discussing the show but they weren't interested in buying our products. I realised that we needed to offer something with a connection to the Game of Thrones that they would be prepared to buy, so I approached HBO about developing a licensed product. This was a long process but worth it in the end. Our Game of Thrones product range has been a success and the fans that visit us, do buy it."

Promote your business

"We market predominately to a local market advertising to them through billboards, buses and publications. Overall about 30 per cent of our sales comes from visitors - mostly at our Glenarm workshop. We advertise in a brochure that is handed out on cruise ships and also in hotel magazines and hardback books. Our website is by far our biggest advertising tool. We are actively promote on social media, mainly Facebook. We are trying to increase our Instagram presence, as we like to explore the success of different promotional channels."

Case Study
Brona Steenson

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Food tourism

dcomisso — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 16:33:04 +0000

Food tourism dcomisso Tue, 18/02/2014 - 16:33

Niche tourism opportunities

In this guide:

Niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland

The range of new and emerging niche tourism opportunities in Northern Ireland, such as food, screen, cultural and golf tourism.
There are several niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland.

What is niche tourism?

Niche tourism is tourism that is tailored to the needs or interests of a particular audience. This could mean targeting a tourism experience at groups with particular hobbies such as hiking. It could involve providing services to meet the needs of groups such as dog-owners or cyclists. You can take advantage of niche tourism by creating experiences for those with interests such as literature or local food.

Niche tourism provides a way for your business to stand out from competitors. It allows you to appeal strongly to particular market segments. Niche tourism audiences may be large or small. Consider the value of a niche tourism sector by researching how large the audience is and how much they typically spend.

Key niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland

Important local niche tourism markets include:

activities and nature-based tourism

golf tourism

food tourism

craft tourism

sustainable tourism

cultural and heritage tourism

screen tourism (such as Game of Thrones)

business tourism

This is not an exhaustive list, but simply gives a 'flavour' of the range of niche markets currently represented in Northern Ireland.
Developed with

Tourism Northern Ireland

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Activities and nature-based tourism

The niche market of activity and nature tourism is growing in Northern Ireland. It includes hiking, cycling, climbing, birdwatching, walking and canoeing.
Northern Ireland has a growing activities tourism market. Its natural beauty and reputation for hospitality make it an ideal setting for this type of trip.

Some examples include:

garden and forests

cycling and mountain biking

walking and hiking

fishing

canoeing and water sports

Types of activity tourism

Activity tourism generally combines:

physical activity or adventure

cultural exchange or interaction

engagement with nature

The market is commonly made up of:

hard adventure activities such as climbing, trekking and mountain biking

soft adventure activities such as walking tours, city bike tours, canoe hire or camping

Soft activities make the majority of the market as they:

appeal to a wider range of people

require less physical output than hard activities

generally have lower perceived or real risks

are easily adapted for different visitors, eg families

Many activities, such as walking, hiking and cycling, are typically free to access and so do not have a value market size in their own right. However, they enhance the visitor experience and can increase opportunities for visitors to spend. this type of visitor will spend money on food, drink and accommodation.

Tourism opportunities

Golf is currently a 'key draw' activity for Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and overseas visitors to Northern Ireland. See golf tourism.

For other business sector insights, see tourism insights.
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Golf tourism

The golf tourism market in Northern Ireland and how clubs and other businesses can take advantage of opportunities.
Northern Ireland is increasingly becoming known as a world class golf destination. Events such as the Irish Open 2017 and The Open Championship 2019 have helped to highlight Northern Ireland as a golfing destination. The success of local golfers like Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke have also raised the profile of golf in Northern Ireland.

The Open Championship 2019 in Portrush drew in 237,750 spectators. This made it the second-highest attended Open championship of all time.

Northern Ireland's golfing appeal lies in its diversity and the quality of its courses.

Opportunities

There are opportunities for golf courses to attract more overseas visitors and host major events. Other businesses such as those in the hospitality and transport sectors can also benefit. For every £1 spent by visitors on green fees,they spend a further £4.

Some of the opportunities for golf clubs include:

developing clusters that allow visitors to play several different courses during their trip

creating partnerships with hotels and restaurants to offer package breaks

promoting offers on tourism websites and through online tour operators

The opportunities for other businesses include:

holding golf exhibitions, workshops and talks

providing hospitality and transport during major golf events

working with clubs to offer package deals to golf tourists

Northern Ireland's positon as a leading golf destination can also help to increase the business travel market. This will create further business opportunities.
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Food tourism

The value of the food tourism market and resources to help your business take advantage of the opportunities.
Food is vital to the Northern Ireland tourism offering. It is as important as accommodation, culture and scenery for those wishing to immerse themselves in the Northern Ireland experience.

Recent research indicates that the Northern Ireland food tourism is now worth £350 million annually to the local economy.

Artisan food presents a chance to showcase local ingredients and dishes. It presents gift and souvenir opportunities for tourists.

Opportunities

If your business depends on selling, producing or serving food, the opportunities within the tourism industry are vital to consider. This includes:

eating establishments

pubs

open farms

food producers

cookery schools

food festivals

food and farmer's markets

other key operators in the local agri-food industry

For more information on taking advantage of food tourism opportunities, see food tourism opportunities.
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Craft tourism

Northern Ireland’s traditional crafts and artisan produce presents a unique tourism opportunity – crafts are part of visitor’s cultural tourism experience.
Visitors to Northern Ireland want to enjoy an authentic cultural experience. Traditional crafts and artisan produce can form part of this experience. The craft sector in Northern Ireland includes over 400 skilled producers.

Examples of local crafts include:

local food products such as black pudding, rapeseed oil, cheese and soda bread

handmade jewellery

homeware such as Irish linen products

artwork such as painting, photography and sculpture

craft beer and spirits

woodwork and furniture

Craft tourism opportunities

There are opportunities for craft producers to diversify their business by adding a tourism element. Examples include:

workspace tours and production demonstrations

special workshops and classes, eg bread-making or embroidery

attending events such as fairs and festivals

Craft producers can get help to offer a tourism experience by becoming an official ÉCONOMUSÉE. This involves opening your workshop to the public and meeting certain criteria such as displaying an exhibition and selling your products on site. Read more about ÉCONOMUSÉEs in Northern Ireland.

The following organisations offer guidance to craft businesses:

Craft NI run initiatives such as August Craft Month

Food NI promote local food producers

Arts Council of Northern Ireland offer funding and development opportunities for artists
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Sustainable tourism

How to take a sustainable approach to tourism and green accreditation and future trends in the sector to take advantage of the growing trend of sustainable tourism.
Sustainability is a growing global trend across a whole range of industries around the world.

In tourism, sustainability is a practice of trying to:

make as low an impact as possible on the environment and local culture

helping to generate income and employment for the local economy

What does it mean in practice?

Sustainable tourism is not the same as eco-tourism or green tourism, which focus on conservation and the environment. Rather than being a 'tourism product', sustainable tourism is a way of doing things. The aim is to protect and ensure the future of the local tourism industry.

There are many clear benefits to sustainability including:

cost savings

increased profitability

improved reputation

access to an increasing market of environment- and culture- conscious customers

Going Green

Small steps in your business can help you make it more sustainable, from:

minimising your business waste

improving energy and water efficiency

increasing community engagement

sourcing local produce

For more advice to help you embrace sustainable practices in your business, see make your business more sustainable. For hotels, see use resources efficiently in your hotel.

Green accreditation

Green Tourism Certification is the largest and most established scheme of its kind in the world, recognised by both UK national and regional government as a key part of its drive towards sustainability. See Green Tourism Certification.

Future trends

Tourism NI expects the theme of sustainability to be central to the global tourism industry in years to come. They highlight a number of opportunities for local tourism providers, including:

keeping in local, ie sourcing produce, staff and services from your vicinity

promoting your green credentials for greatest impact and increased business

meeting demands of particular demographic, eg eco-conscious and health focused individuals
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Cultural and heritage tourism

Niche tourism markets such as screen, music and literary tourism provide opportunities for Northern Ireland businesses.
Northern Ireland's culture is a key attraction for visitors choosing the region as their holiday destination.

In broad terms, cultural tourism includes:

built and historical heritage, such as castles and estates

cultural heritage, eg museums and galleries

contemporary culture, eg music, film, TV and fashion

Businesses can benefit by simply being in the proximity of a cultural or a heritage location, building or an event. They can also take a more proactive approach and integrate cultural and heritage experiences in their new and existing tourism products.

Screen tourism

Screen tourism is on the rise. The market has been boosted by the success of HBO's Game of Thrones, and productions such as Line of Duty and The Fall. Screen tourism is making a lasting impact on the local Northern Ireland economy. It presents local businesses with a wealth of new opportunities. See screen tourism opportunities.

Music

Northern Ireland has a strong music offering. This ranges from traditional music to more contemporary music. Music plays a key role in local nightlife and at events and festivals. There is also has a wide range of music venues from small intimate sites, to large facilities which can host major international acts.

Derry~Londonderry's walls

A rarity in the UK, Derry~Londonderry's walls present great opportunities for local hospitality businesses and walking tour operators.

Events and festivals

Northern Ireland has an established ability to attract and host world-class international events, and bring with them many international and domestic visitors.

Events tourism opens up opportunities in all sectors of the industry, from event organisation and logistics, to accommodation, hospitality and transport.

Literary tourism

Northern Ireland literary scene offers huge tourism opportunities. The region has been home to world-renowned authors such as C.S. Lewis, Seamus Heaney, Marie Jones and Brian Friel.

Visitors can walk in the footsteps of literary giants and explore areas that inspired them through experiences like:

walking tours

quirky bookstores

festivals

theatre productions

poetry readings
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Screen tourism

With world renowned productions being filmed in Northern Ireland, the screen tourism industry is growing market – find out how businesses can take advantage.
Northern Ireland is an increasingly popular filming location. Its attraction is the variety of its landscape and the local expertise in the film industry. This brings opportunities for tourism services and the hospitality industries.

In recent years, films such as Good Vibrations and Dracula Untold and TV productions like Game of Thrones and The Fall have been filmed in Northern Ireland. Films connected with Northern Ireland provide chances to create tourism experiences for a wide range of customers. Screen tourism is a growing trend and tourists enjoy visiting the landscapes and architecture that they see on screen.

Research suggests that that one in four adults choose their next holiday destination based on TV or film (Source: HBO). This creates potential for tourism businesses. Following the release of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it was reported that there was a 50 per cent increase in visitors to New Zealand where it was filmed.

Screen tourism opportunities

There are a number of ways that Northern Ireland tourism businesses can capitalise on local film and television production, including:

themed visitor experiences and activities

location tours

events like screenings and live action roleplays at filming locations

themed food events

themed package breaks

accommodation for visitors attracted through screen tourism

accommodation and services to crews filming on location

If your business is near a filming location, use this to add value to your existing tourism experiences. Sign posts and photo boards are important markers for tourists. Offer photo opportunities for visitors who can share these on social media.

If you are offering an experience relating to a particular production, detailed knowledge is vital for authenticity. Fans will appreciate any "insider knowledge" you can share about the production.

Find out more in our screen tourism opportunities guide.

Support for screen tourism

Tourism NI offer guidance for business offering screen tourism experiences, particularly Game of Thrones.

Northern Ireland Screen can share details if filming locations (and in some cases photography) and can partner with other organisations for tourism initiatives and events. See the production catalogue for a list of all past, current and upcoming Northern Ireland Screen funded productions. This includes a list of filming locations for each production.

See screen tourism business help and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ.

Game of Thrones

HBO's Game of Thrones, filmed in Northern Ireland, is one of the most popular and successful TV series ever made. It has provided opportunities for the NI tourism industry. Many businesses have already created visitor experiences relating to the TV series.

See Game of Thrones tourism in Northern Ireland.
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Business tourism

Business tourism opportunities for tourism providers in Northern Ireland, including the growing incentive travel market.
Business tourism is part of what is known as the MICE sector, which stands for:

meetings

incentive travel

conferences

events

Business tourism is a growing sector in Northern Ireland. It can provide opportunities for your business. It can also help to grow the local leisure tourism market as business visitors may return with their families.

See organising events in Northern Ireland.

Incentive travel

Companies sometimes want to reward their employees or partners with trips away. This market is known as incentive travel. It differs from leisure tourism as the visitors have not paid for the trip themselves, and probably haven't had a say in the planning.

Incentive travel provides opportunities for:

accommodation providers

event venues

tourist experiences

transport businesses

restaurant, bars and hospitality businesses

entertainment providers

Usually before an incentive trip is booked, there will be a familiarisation (fam) trip to the destination. This is your chance to impress the potential clients. Fam trips work best when the various providers, destination management companies (DMCs) and other destination stakeholders work together.

Some things that can set you apart to incentive travel buyers include:

provide a unique, authentic experience

offer exclusive options that aren't available to leisure guests

think creatively when offering event space

pay close attention to detail

provide a personalised service to make the trip special

research your guests and meet their specific needs (eg hobbies, food preferences)
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Society for Incentive Travel Excellence

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Creating tourism experiences

Use Tourism NI's Creating Experiences Toolkit to develop your tourism product and create authentic experiences for your visitors.
Tourists are increasingly seeking out authentic experiences. They want to make the most of their time away. They do this by:

connecting with local people

immersing themselves into local culture

enjoying local food and drink

exploring local geography and places of interest

This trend provides the tourism industry with a new type of visitor. One who is an active participant in the experience and is seeking more than just a packaged tour, a hotel room or a scenic view.

Tourism NI has produced an experience development toolkit, Northern Ireland - Embrace a Giant Spirit. The toolkit gives step-by-step guidance on creating experiences that embrace the giant spirit.

Access the Northern Ireland - Embrace a Giant Spirit experience development toolkit.

See a video introduction to Creating Experiences. Source: Tourism NI
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Niche tourism opportunities

Taking advantage of craft tourism opportunities - The Steensons

Brona Steenson, Director of Steensons Jewellers, explains how the business takes advantage of craft tourism opportunities.

Craftsmanship is a key business focus of the Steensons design and craft jewellery. The designs, sold in their Glenarm workshop and Belfast store, combine traditional techniques with new technologies.

Brona Steenson, Director of Steensons Jewellers, explains how the business takes advantage of craft tourism opportunities.

Craft tourism in Northern Ireland

"I think Northern Ireland has been put on the map for its creative industries over the last decade, because of Game of Thrones. Although it's a small place, there is a large percentage of people working within the craft and art industries. Also, you don't have to travel far to see wide-ranging areas of natural beauty, so the ease of seeing local crafts against the backdrop of the surrounding area is a big draw for visitors."

Consider your location

"What seems to appeal to visitors about our business is our unusual designs. Our designs, handcrafted in Northern Ireland, mean that visitors get the chance to take home something that is locally-made and unique to the area. Since moving the location of the Glenarm workshop to a more prominent place within the village, we have benefited from the increase in tourism - our footfall tripled and our turnover doubled. Location is key. We are now close to a car park and visitor centre, which means that tourists arriving by car, as well as small coach and taxi tours, often stop with us."

Connect with local networks

"We are part of the Causeway Coast and Glens ECOMUSEE network, which welcomes the public to see the skill of our craft in action. The term 'ECONMUSEE' means 'working museum', however the local network prefer the term 'artisans at work' as we feel that explains what we offer. Other businesses in this local network specialise in the areas of arts, crafts and agri-food. They similarly use their craft to promote cultural heritage and sustain traditional skills.

We find the main benefit of the ECOMUSEE network is the networking side of things, plus the exchange of ideas on the promotion of our and each other's business."

Identify new opportunities

"Our work with Game of Thrones started when they commissioned us to create a chain of office piece for the first series in 2008. Following that, we made crowns and various pieces over the years. Soon after this people arriving at the workshop wanted to talk about Game of Thrones which came with some challenges. Visitors would spend time discussing the show but they weren't interested in buying our products. I realised that we needed to offer something with a connection to the Game of Thrones that they would be prepared to buy, so I approached HBO about developing a licensed product. This was a long process but worth it in the end. Our Game of Thrones product range has been a success and the fans that visit us, do buy it."

Promote your business

"We market predominately to a local market advertising to them through billboards, buses and publications. Overall about 30 per cent of our sales comes from visitors - mostly at our Glenarm workshop. We advertise in a brochure that is handed out on cruise ships and also in hotel magazines and hardback books. Our website is by far our biggest advertising tool. We are actively promote on social media, mainly Facebook. We are trying to increase our Instagram presence, as we like to explore the success of different promotional channels."

Case Study
Brona Steenson

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Activities and nature-based tourism

dcomisso — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 16:28:41 +0000

Activities and nature-based tourism dcomisso Tue, 18/02/2014 - 16:28

Niche tourism opportunities

In this guide:

Niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland

The range of new and emerging niche tourism opportunities in Northern Ireland, such as food, screen, cultural and golf tourism.
There are several niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland.

What is niche tourism?

Niche tourism is tourism that is tailored to the needs or interests of a particular audience. This could mean targeting a tourism experience at groups with particular hobbies such as hiking. It could involve providing services to meet the needs of groups such as dog-owners or cyclists. You can take advantage of niche tourism by creating experiences for those with interests such as literature or local food.

Niche tourism provides a way for your business to stand out from competitors. It allows you to appeal strongly to particular market segments. Niche tourism audiences may be large or small. Consider the value of a niche tourism sector by researching how large the audience is and how much they typically spend.

Key niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland

Important local niche tourism markets include:

activities and nature-based tourism

golf tourism

food tourism

craft tourism

sustainable tourism

cultural and heritage tourism

screen tourism (such as Game of Thrones)

business tourism

This is not an exhaustive list, but simply gives a 'flavour' of the range of niche markets currently represented in Northern Ireland.
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Activities and nature-based tourism

The niche market of activity and nature tourism is growing in Northern Ireland. It includes hiking, cycling, climbing, birdwatching, walking and canoeing.
Northern Ireland has a growing activities tourism market. Its natural beauty and reputation for hospitality make it an ideal setting for this type of trip.

Some examples include:

garden and forests

cycling and mountain biking

walking and hiking

fishing

canoeing and water sports

Types of activity tourism

Activity tourism generally combines:

physical activity or adventure

cultural exchange or interaction

engagement with nature

The market is commonly made up of:

hard adventure activities such as climbing, trekking and mountain biking

soft adventure activities such as walking tours, city bike tours, canoe hire or camping

Soft activities make the majority of the market as they:

appeal to a wider range of people

require less physical output than hard activities

generally have lower perceived or real risks

are easily adapted for different visitors, eg families

Many activities, such as walking, hiking and cycling, are typically free to access and so do not have a value market size in their own right. However, they enhance the visitor experience and can increase opportunities for visitors to spend. this type of visitor will spend money on food, drink and accommodation.

Tourism opportunities

Golf is currently a 'key draw' activity for Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and overseas visitors to Northern Ireland. See golf tourism.

For other business sector insights, see tourism insights.
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Golf tourism

The golf tourism market in Northern Ireland and how clubs and other businesses can take advantage of opportunities.
Northern Ireland is increasingly becoming known as a world class golf destination. Events such as the Irish Open 2017 and The Open Championship 2019 have helped to highlight Northern Ireland as a golfing destination. The success of local golfers like Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke have also raised the profile of golf in Northern Ireland.

The Open Championship 2019 in Portrush drew in 237,750 spectators. This made it the second-highest attended Open championship of all time.

Northern Ireland's golfing appeal lies in its diversity and the quality of its courses.

Opportunities

There are opportunities for golf courses to attract more overseas visitors and host major events. Other businesses such as those in the hospitality and transport sectors can also benefit. For every £1 spent by visitors on green fees,they spend a further £4.

Some of the opportunities for golf clubs include:

developing clusters that allow visitors to play several different courses during their trip

creating partnerships with hotels and restaurants to offer package breaks

promoting offers on tourism websites and through online tour operators

The opportunities for other businesses include:

holding golf exhibitions, workshops and talks

providing hospitality and transport during major golf events

working with clubs to offer package deals to golf tourists

Northern Ireland's positon as a leading golf destination can also help to increase the business travel market. This will create further business opportunities.
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Organising events in Northern Ireland

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Food tourism

The value of the food tourism market and resources to help your business take advantage of the opportunities.
Food is vital to the Northern Ireland tourism offering. It is as important as accommodation, culture and scenery for those wishing to immerse themselves in the Northern Ireland experience.

Recent research indicates that the Northern Ireland food tourism is now worth £350 million annually to the local economy.

Artisan food presents a chance to showcase local ingredients and dishes. It presents gift and souvenir opportunities for tourists.

Opportunities

If your business depends on selling, producing or serving food, the opportunities within the tourism industry are vital to consider. This includes:

eating establishments

pubs

open farms

food producers

cookery schools

food festivals

food and farmer's markets

other key operators in the local agri-food industry

For more information on taking advantage of food tourism opportunities, see food tourism opportunities.
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Craft tourism

Northern Ireland’s traditional crafts and artisan produce presents a unique tourism opportunity – crafts are part of visitor’s cultural tourism experience.
Visitors to Northern Ireland want to enjoy an authentic cultural experience. Traditional crafts and artisan produce can form part of this experience. The craft sector in Northern Ireland includes over 400 skilled producers.

Examples of local crafts include:

local food products such as black pudding, rapeseed oil, cheese and soda bread

handmade jewellery

homeware such as Irish linen products

artwork such as painting, photography and sculpture

craft beer and spirits

woodwork and furniture

Craft tourism opportunities

There are opportunities for craft producers to diversify their business by adding a tourism element. Examples include:

workspace tours and production demonstrations

special workshops and classes, eg bread-making or embroidery

attending events such as fairs and festivals

Craft producers can get help to offer a tourism experience by becoming an official ÉCONOMUSÉE. This involves opening your workshop to the public and meeting certain criteria such as displaying an exhibition and selling your products on site. Read more about ÉCONOMUSÉEs in Northern Ireland.

The following organisations offer guidance to craft businesses:

Craft NI run initiatives such as August Craft Month

Food NI promote local food producers

Arts Council of Northern Ireland offer funding and development opportunities for artists
Also on this site

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Creative industries in Northern Ireland

Creative business 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ and funding

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Sustainable tourism

How to take a sustainable approach to tourism and green accreditation and future trends in the sector to take advantage of the growing trend of sustainable tourism.
Sustainability is a growing global trend across a whole range of industries around the world.

In tourism, sustainability is a practice of trying to:

make as low an impact as possible on the environment and local culture

helping to generate income and employment for the local economy

What does it mean in practice?

Sustainable tourism is not the same as eco-tourism or green tourism, which focus on conservation and the environment. Rather than being a 'tourism product', sustainable tourism is a way of doing things. The aim is to protect and ensure the future of the local tourism industry.

There are many clear benefits to sustainability including:

cost savings

increased profitability

improved reputation

access to an increasing market of environment- and culture- conscious customers

Going Green

Small steps in your business can help you make it more sustainable, from:

minimising your business waste

improving energy and water efficiency

increasing community engagement

sourcing local produce

For more advice to help you embrace sustainable practices in your business, see make your business more sustainable. For hotels, see use resources efficiently in your hotel.

Green accreditation

Green Tourism Certification is the largest and most established scheme of its kind in the world, recognised by both UK national and regional government as a key part of its drive towards sustainability. See Green Tourism Certification.

Future trends

Tourism NI expects the theme of sustainability to be central to the global tourism industry in years to come. They highlight a number of opportunities for local tourism providers, including:

keeping in local, ie sourcing produce, staff and services from your vicinity

promoting your green credentials for greatest impact and increased business

meeting demands of particular demographic, eg eco-conscious and health focused individuals
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Cultural and heritage tourism

Niche tourism markets such as screen, music and literary tourism provide opportunities for Northern Ireland businesses.
Northern Ireland's culture is a key attraction for visitors choosing the region as their holiday destination.

In broad terms, cultural tourism includes:

built and historical heritage, such as castles and estates

cultural heritage, eg museums and galleries

contemporary culture, eg music, film, TV and fashion

Businesses can benefit by simply being in the proximity of a cultural or a heritage location, building or an event. They can also take a more proactive approach and integrate cultural and heritage experiences in their new and existing tourism products.

Screen tourism

Screen tourism is on the rise. The market has been boosted by the success of HBO's Game of Thrones, and productions such as Line of Duty and The Fall. Screen tourism is making a lasting impact on the local Northern Ireland economy. It presents local businesses with a wealth of new opportunities. See screen tourism opportunities.

Music

Northern Ireland has a strong music offering. This ranges from traditional music to more contemporary music. Music plays a key role in local nightlife and at events and festivals. There is also has a wide range of music venues from small intimate sites, to large facilities which can host major international acts.

Derry~Londonderry's walls

A rarity in the UK, Derry~Londonderry's walls present great opportunities for local hospitality businesses and walking tour operators.

Events and festivals

Northern Ireland has an established ability to attract and host world-class international events, and bring with them many international and domestic visitors.

Events tourism opens up opportunities in all sectors of the industry, from event organisation and logistics, to accommodation, hospitality and transport.

Literary tourism

Northern Ireland literary scene offers huge tourism opportunities. The region has been home to world-renowned authors such as C.S. Lewis, Seamus Heaney, Marie Jones and Brian Friel.

Visitors can walk in the footsteps of literary giants and explore areas that inspired them through experiences like:

walking tours

quirky bookstores

festivals

theatre productions

poetry readings
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Screen tourism

With world renowned productions being filmed in Northern Ireland, the screen tourism industry is growing market – find out how businesses can take advantage.
Northern Ireland is an increasingly popular filming location. Its attraction is the variety of its landscape and the local expertise in the film industry. This brings opportunities for tourism services and the hospitality industries.

In recent years, films such as Good Vibrations and Dracula Untold and TV productions like Game of Thrones and The Fall have been filmed in Northern Ireland. Films connected with Northern Ireland provide chances to create tourism experiences for a wide range of customers. Screen tourism is a growing trend and tourists enjoy visiting the landscapes and architecture that they see on screen.

Research suggests that that one in four adults choose their next holiday destination based on TV or film (Source: HBO). This creates potential for tourism businesses. Following the release of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it was reported that there was a 50 per cent increase in visitors to New Zealand where it was filmed.

Screen tourism opportunities

There are a number of ways that Northern Ireland tourism businesses can capitalise on local film and television production, including:

themed visitor experiences and activities

location tours

events like screenings and live action roleplays at filming locations

themed food events

themed package breaks

accommodation for visitors attracted through screen tourism

accommodation and services to crews filming on location

If your business is near a filming location, use this to add value to your existing tourism experiences. Sign posts and photo boards are important markers for tourists. Offer photo opportunities for visitors who can share these on social media.

If you are offering an experience relating to a particular production, detailed knowledge is vital for authenticity. Fans will appreciate any "insider knowledge" you can share about the production.

Find out more in our screen tourism opportunities guide.

Support for screen tourism

Tourism NI offer guidance for business offering screen tourism experiences, particularly Game of Thrones.

Northern Ireland Screen can share details if filming locations (and in some cases photography) and can partner with other organisations for tourism initiatives and events. See the production catalogue for a list of all past, current and upcoming Northern Ireland Screen funded productions. This includes a list of filming locations for each production.

See screen tourism business help and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ.

Game of Thrones

HBO's Game of Thrones, filmed in Northern Ireland, is one of the most popular and successful TV series ever made. It has provided opportunities for the NI tourism industry. Many businesses have already created visitor experiences relating to the TV series.

See Game of Thrones tourism in Northern Ireland.
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Business tourism

Business tourism opportunities for tourism providers in Northern Ireland, including the growing incentive travel market.
Business tourism is part of what is known as the MICE sector, which stands for:

meetings

incentive travel

conferences

events

Business tourism is a growing sector in Northern Ireland. It can provide opportunities for your business. It can also help to grow the local leisure tourism market as business visitors may return with their families.

See organising events in Northern Ireland.

Incentive travel

Companies sometimes want to reward their employees or partners with trips away. This market is known as incentive travel. It differs from leisure tourism as the visitors have not paid for the trip themselves, and probably haven't had a say in the planning.

Incentive travel provides opportunities for:

accommodation providers

event venues

tourist experiences

transport businesses

restaurant, bars and hospitality businesses

entertainment providers

Usually before an incentive trip is booked, there will be a familiarisation (fam) trip to the destination. This is your chance to impress the potential clients. Fam trips work best when the various providers, destination management companies (DMCs) and other destination stakeholders work together.

Some things that can set you apart to incentive travel buyers include:

provide a unique, authentic experience

offer exclusive options that aren't available to leisure guests

think creatively when offering event space

pay close attention to detail

provide a personalised service to make the trip special

research your guests and meet their specific needs (eg hobbies, food preferences)
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Creating tourism experiences

Use Tourism NI's Creating Experiences Toolkit to develop your tourism product and create authentic experiences for your visitors.
Tourists are increasingly seeking out authentic experiences. They want to make the most of their time away. They do this by:

connecting with local people

immersing themselves into local culture

enjoying local food and drink

exploring local geography and places of interest

This trend provides the tourism industry with a new type of visitor. One who is an active participant in the experience and is seeking more than just a packaged tour, a hotel room or a scenic view.

Tourism NI has produced an experience development toolkit, Northern Ireland - Embrace a Giant Spirit. The toolkit gives step-by-step guidance on creating experiences that embrace the giant spirit.

Access the Northern Ireland - Embrace a Giant Spirit experience development toolkit.

See a video introduction to Creating Experiences. Source: Tourism NI
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Niche tourism opportunities

Taking advantage of craft tourism opportunities - The Steensons

Brona Steenson, Director of Steensons Jewellers, explains how the business takes advantage of craft tourism opportunities.

Craftsmanship is a key business focus of the Steensons design and craft jewellery. The designs, sold in their Glenarm workshop and Belfast store, combine traditional techniques with new technologies.

Brona Steenson, Director of Steensons Jewellers, explains how the business takes advantage of craft tourism opportunities.

Craft tourism in Northern Ireland

"I think Northern Ireland has been put on the map for its creative industries over the last decade, because of Game of Thrones. Although it's a small place, there is a large percentage of people working within the craft and art industries. Also, you don't have to travel far to see wide-ranging areas of natural beauty, so the ease of seeing local crafts against the backdrop of the surrounding area is a big draw for visitors."

Consider your location

"What seems to appeal to visitors about our business is our unusual designs. Our designs, handcrafted in Northern Ireland, mean that visitors get the chance to take home something that is locally-made and unique to the area. Since moving the location of the Glenarm workshop to a more prominent place within the village, we have benefited from the increase in tourism - our footfall tripled and our turnover doubled. Location is key. We are now close to a car park and visitor centre, which means that tourists arriving by car, as well as small coach and taxi tours, often stop with us."

Connect with local networks

"We are part of the Causeway Coast and Glens ECOMUSEE network, which welcomes the public to see the skill of our craft in action. The term 'ECONMUSEE' means 'working museum', however the local network prefer the term 'artisans at work' as we feel that explains what we offer. Other businesses in this local network specialise in the areas of arts, crafts and agri-food. They similarly use their craft to promote cultural heritage and sustain traditional skills.

We find the main benefit of the ECOMUSEE network is the networking side of things, plus the exchange of ideas on the promotion of our and each other's business."

Identify new opportunities

"Our work with Game of Thrones started when they commissioned us to create a chain of office piece for the first series in 2008. Following that, we made crowns and various pieces over the years. Soon after this people arriving at the workshop wanted to talk about Game of Thrones which came with some challenges. Visitors would spend time discussing the show but they weren't interested in buying our products. I realised that we needed to offer something with a connection to the Game of Thrones that they would be prepared to buy, so I approached HBO about developing a licensed product. This was a long process but worth it in the end. Our Game of Thrones product range has been a success and the fans that visit us, do buy it."

Promote your business

"We market predominately to a local market advertising to them through billboards, buses and publications. Overall about 30 per cent of our sales comes from visitors - mostly at our Glenarm workshop. We advertise in a brochure that is handed out on cruise ships and also in hotel magazines and hardback books. Our website is by far our biggest advertising tool. We are actively promote on social media, mainly Facebook. We are trying to increase our Instagram presence, as we like to explore the success of different promotional channels."

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Niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland

dcomisso — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 16:24:40 +0000

Niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland dcomisso Tue, 18/02/2014 - 16:24

Niche tourism opportunities

In this guide:

Niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland

The range of new and emerging niche tourism opportunities in Northern Ireland, such as food, screen, cultural and golf tourism.
There are several niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland.

What is niche tourism?

Niche tourism is tourism that is tailored to the needs or interests of a particular audience. This could mean targeting a tourism experience at groups with particular hobbies such as hiking. It could involve providing services to meet the needs of groups such as dog-owners or cyclists. You can take advantage of niche tourism by creating experiences for those with interests such as literature or local food.

Niche tourism provides a way for your business to stand out from competitors. It allows you to appeal strongly to particular market segments. Niche tourism audiences may be large or small. Consider the value of a niche tourism sector by researching how large the audience is and how much they typically spend.

Key niche tourism markets in Northern Ireland

Important local niche tourism markets include:

activities and nature-based tourism

golf tourism

food tourism

craft tourism

sustainable tourism

cultural and heritage tourism

screen tourism (such as Game of Thrones)

business tourism

This is not an exhaustive list, but simply gives a 'flavour' of the range of niche markets currently represented in Northern Ireland.
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Activities and nature-based tourism

The niche market of activity and nature tourism is growing in Northern Ireland. It includes hiking, cycling, climbing, birdwatching, walking and canoeing.
Northern Ireland has a growing activities tourism market. Its natural beauty and reputation for hospitality make it an ideal setting for this type of trip.

Some examples include:

garden and forests

cycling and mountain biking

walking and hiking

fishing

canoeing and water sports

Types of activity tourism

Activity tourism generally combines:

physical activity or adventure

cultural exchange or interaction

engagement with nature

The market is commonly made up of:

hard adventure activities such as climbing, trekking and mountain biking

soft adventure activities such as walking tours, city bike tours, canoe hire or camping

Soft activities make the majority of the market as they:

appeal to a wider range of people

require less physical output than hard activities

generally have lower perceived or real risks

are easily adapted for different visitors, eg families

Many activities, such as walking, hiking and cycling, are typically free to access and so do not have a value market size in their own right. However, they enhance the visitor experience and can increase opportunities for visitors to spend. this type of visitor will spend money on food, drink and accommodation.

Tourism opportunities

Golf is currently a 'key draw' activity for Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and overseas visitors to Northern Ireland. See golf tourism.

For other business sector insights, see tourism insights.
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Golf tourism

The golf tourism market in Northern Ireland and how clubs and other businesses can take advantage of opportunities.
Northern Ireland is increasingly becoming known as a world class golf destination. Events such as the Irish Open 2017 and The Open Championship 2019 have helped to highlight Northern Ireland as a golfing destination. The success of local golfers like Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke have also raised the profile of golf in Northern Ireland.

The Open Championship 2019 in Portrush drew in 237,750 spectators. This made it the second-highest attended Open championship of all time.

Northern Ireland's golfing appeal lies in its diversity and the quality of its courses.

Opportunities

There are opportunities for golf courses to attract more overseas visitors and host major events. Other businesses such as those in the hospitality and transport sectors can also benefit. For every £1 spent by visitors on green fees,they spend a further £4.

Some of the opportunities for golf clubs include:

developing clusters that allow visitors to play several different courses during their trip

creating partnerships with hotels and restaurants to offer package breaks

promoting offers on tourism websites and through online tour operators

The opportunities for other businesses include:

holding golf exhibitions, workshops and talks

providing hospitality and transport during major golf events

working with clubs to offer package deals to golf tourists

Northern Ireland's positon as a leading golf destination can also help to increase the business travel market. This will create further business opportunities.
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Food tourism

The value of the food tourism market and resources to help your business take advantage of the opportunities.
Food is vital to the Northern Ireland tourism offering. It is as important as accommodation, culture and scenery for those wishing to immerse themselves in the Northern Ireland experience.

Recent research indicates that the Northern Ireland food tourism is now worth £350 million annually to the local economy.

Artisan food presents a chance to showcase local ingredients and dishes. It presents gift and souvenir opportunities for tourists.

Opportunities

If your business depends on selling, producing or serving food, the opportunities within the tourism industry are vital to consider. This includes:

eating establishments

pubs

open farms

food producers

cookery schools

food festivals

food and farmer's markets

other key operators in the local agri-food industry

For more information on taking advantage of food tourism opportunities, see food tourism opportunities.
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Craft tourism

Northern Ireland’s traditional crafts and artisan produce presents a unique tourism opportunity – crafts are part of visitor’s cultural tourism experience.
Visitors to Northern Ireland want to enjoy an authentic cultural experience. Traditional crafts and artisan produce can form part of this experience. The craft sector in Northern Ireland includes over 400 skilled producers.

Examples of local crafts include:

local food products such as black pudding, rapeseed oil, cheese and soda bread

handmade jewellery

homeware such as Irish linen products

artwork such as painting, photography and sculpture

craft beer and spirits

woodwork and furniture

Craft tourism opportunities

There are opportunities for craft producers to diversify their business by adding a tourism element. Examples include:

workspace tours and production demonstrations

special workshops and classes, eg bread-making or embroidery

attending events such as fairs and festivals

Craft producers can get help to offer a tourism experience by becoming an official ÉCONOMUSÉE. This involves opening your workshop to the public and meeting certain criteria such as displaying an exhibition and selling your products on site. Read more about ÉCONOMUSÉEs in Northern Ireland.

The following organisations offer guidance to craft businesses:

Craft NI run initiatives such as August Craft Month

Food NI promote local food producers

Arts Council of Northern Ireland offer funding and development opportunities for artists
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Sustainable tourism

How to take a sustainable approach to tourism and green accreditation and future trends in the sector to take advantage of the growing trend of sustainable tourism.
Sustainability is a growing global trend across a whole range of industries around the world.

In tourism, sustainability is a practice of trying to:

make as low an impact as possible on the environment and local culture

helping to generate income and employment for the local economy

What does it mean in practice?

Sustainable tourism is not the same as eco-tourism or green tourism, which focus on conservation and the environment. Rather than being a 'tourism product', sustainable tourism is a way of doing things. The aim is to protect and ensure the future of the local tourism industry.

There are many clear benefits to sustainability including:

cost savings

increased profitability

improved reputation

access to an increasing market of environment- and culture- conscious customers

Going Green

Small steps in your business can help you make it more sustainable, from:

minimising your business waste

improving energy and water efficiency

increasing community engagement

sourcing local produce

For more advice to help you embrace sustainable practices in your business, see make your business more sustainable. For hotels, see use resources efficiently in your hotel.

Green accreditation

Green Tourism Certification is the largest and most established scheme of its kind in the world, recognised by both UK national and regional government as a key part of its drive towards sustainability. See Green Tourism Certification.

Future trends

Tourism NI expects the theme of sustainability to be central to the global tourism industry in years to come. They highlight a number of opportunities for local tourism providers, including:

keeping in local, ie sourcing produce, staff and services from your vicinity

promoting your green credentials for greatest impact and increased business

meeting demands of particular demographic, eg eco-conscious and health focused individuals
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Cultural and heritage tourism

Niche tourism markets such as screen, music and literary tourism provide opportunities for Northern Ireland businesses.
Northern Ireland's culture is a key attraction for visitors choosing the region as their holiday destination.

In broad terms, cultural tourism includes:

built and historical heritage, such as castles and estates

cultural heritage, eg museums and galleries

contemporary culture, eg music, film, TV and fashion

Businesses can benefit by simply being in the proximity of a cultural or a heritage location, building or an event. They can also take a more proactive approach and integrate cultural and heritage experiences in their new and existing tourism products.

Screen tourism

Screen tourism is on the rise. The market has been boosted by the success of HBO's Game of Thrones, and productions such as Line of Duty and The Fall. Screen tourism is making a lasting impact on the local Northern Ireland economy. It presents local businesses with a wealth of new opportunities. See screen tourism opportunities.

Music

Northern Ireland has a strong music offering. This ranges from traditional music to more contemporary music. Music plays a key role in local nightlife and at events and festivals. There is also has a wide range of music venues from small intimate sites, to large facilities which can host major international acts.

Derry~Londonderry's walls

A rarity in the UK, Derry~Londonderry's walls present great opportunities for local hospitality businesses and walking tour operators.

Events and festivals

Northern Ireland has an established ability to attract and host world-class international events, and bring with them many international and domestic visitors.

Events tourism opens up opportunities in all sectors of the industry, from event organisation and logistics, to accommodation, hospitality and transport.

Literary tourism

Northern Ireland literary scene offers huge tourism opportunities. The region has been home to world-renowned authors such as C.S. Lewis, Seamus Heaney, Marie Jones and Brian Friel.

Visitors can walk in the footsteps of literary giants and explore areas that inspired them through experiences like:

walking tours

quirky bookstores

festivals

theatre productions

poetry readings
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Screen tourism

With world renowned productions being filmed in Northern Ireland, the screen tourism industry is growing market – find out how businesses can take advantage.
Northern Ireland is an increasingly popular filming location. Its attraction is the variety of its landscape and the local expertise in the film industry. This brings opportunities for tourism services and the hospitality industries.

In recent years, films such as Good Vibrations and Dracula Untold and TV productions like Game of Thrones and The Fall have been filmed in Northern Ireland. Films connected with Northern Ireland provide chances to create tourism experiences for a wide range of customers. Screen tourism is a growing trend and tourists enjoy visiting the landscapes and architecture that they see on screen.

Research suggests that that one in four adults choose their next holiday destination based on TV or film (Source: HBO). This creates potential for tourism businesses. Following the release of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it was reported that there was a 50 per cent increase in visitors to New Zealand where it was filmed.

Screen tourism opportunities

There are a number of ways that Northern Ireland tourism businesses can capitalise on local film and television production, including:

themed visitor experiences and activities

location tours

events like screenings and live action roleplays at filming locations

themed food events

themed package breaks

accommodation for visitors attracted through screen tourism

accommodation and services to crews filming on location

If your business is near a filming location, use this to add value to your existing tourism experiences. Sign posts and photo boards are important markers for tourists. Offer photo opportunities for visitors who can share these on social media.

If you are offering an experience relating to a particular production, detailed knowledge is vital for authenticity. Fans will appreciate any "insider knowledge" you can share about the production.

Find out more in our screen tourism opportunities guide.

Support for screen tourism

Tourism NI offer guidance for business offering screen tourism experiences, particularly Game of Thrones.

Northern Ireland Screen can share details if filming locations (and in some cases photography) and can partner with other organisations for tourism initiatives and events. See the production catalogue for a list of all past, current and upcoming Northern Ireland Screen funded productions. This includes a list of filming locations for each production.

See screen tourism business help and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ.

Game of Thrones

HBO's Game of Thrones, filmed in Northern Ireland, is one of the most popular and successful TV series ever made. It has provided opportunities for the NI tourism industry. Many businesses have already created visitor experiences relating to the TV series.

See Game of Thrones tourism in Northern Ireland.
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Business tourism

Business tourism opportunities for tourism providers in Northern Ireland, including the growing incentive travel market.
Business tourism is part of what is known as the MICE sector, which stands for:

meetings

incentive travel

conferences

events

Business tourism is a growing sector in Northern Ireland. It can provide opportunities for your business. It can also help to grow the local leisure tourism market as business visitors may return with their families.

See organising events in Northern Ireland.

Incentive travel

Companies sometimes want to reward their employees or partners with trips away. This market is known as incentive travel. It differs from leisure tourism as the visitors have not paid for the trip themselves, and probably haven't had a say in the planning.

Incentive travel provides opportunities for:

accommodation providers

event venues

tourist experiences

transport businesses

restaurant, bars and hospitality businesses

entertainment providers

Usually before an incentive trip is booked, there will be a familiarisation (fam) trip to the destination. This is your chance to impress the potential clients. Fam trips work best when the various providers, destination management companies (DMCs) and other destination stakeholders work together.

Some things that can set you apart to incentive travel buyers include:

provide a unique, authentic experience

offer exclusive options that aren't available to leisure guests

think creatively when offering event space

pay close attention to detail

provide a personalised service to make the trip special

research your guests and meet their specific needs (eg hobbies, food preferences)
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Creating tourism experiences

Use Tourism NI's Creating Experiences Toolkit to develop your tourism product and create authentic experiences for your visitors.
Tourists are increasingly seeking out authentic experiences. They want to make the most of their time away. They do this by:

connecting with local people

immersing themselves into local culture

enjoying local food and drink

exploring local geography and places of interest

This trend provides the tourism industry with a new type of visitor. One who is an active participant in the experience and is seeking more than just a packaged tour, a hotel room or a scenic view.

Tourism NI has produced an experience development toolkit, Northern Ireland - Embrace a Giant Spirit. The toolkit gives step-by-step guidance on creating experiences that embrace the giant spirit.

Access the Northern Ireland - Embrace a Giant Spirit experience development toolkit.

See a video introduction to Creating Experiences. Source: Tourism NI
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Niche tourism opportunities

Taking advantage of craft tourism opportunities - The Steensons

Brona Steenson, Director of Steensons Jewellers, explains how the business takes advantage of craft tourism opportunities.

Craftsmanship is a key business focus of the Steensons design and craft jewellery. The designs, sold in their Glenarm workshop and Belfast store, combine traditional techniques with new technologies.

Brona Steenson, Director of Steensons Jewellers, explains how the business takes advantage of craft tourism opportunities.

Craft tourism in Northern Ireland

"I think Northern Ireland has been put on the map for its creative industries over the last decade, because of Game of Thrones. Although it's a small place, there is a large percentage of people working within the craft and art industries. Also, you don't have to travel far to see wide-ranging areas of natural beauty, so the ease of seeing local crafts against the backdrop of the surrounding area is a big draw for visitors."

Consider your location

"What seems to appeal to visitors about our business is our unusual designs. Our designs, handcrafted in Northern Ireland, mean that visitors get the chance to take home something that is locally-made and unique to the area. Since moving the location of the Glenarm workshop to a more prominent place within the village, we have benefited from the increase in tourism - our footfall tripled and our turnover doubled. Location is key. We are now close to a car park and visitor centre, which means that tourists arriving by car, as well as small coach and taxi tours, often stop with us."

Connect with local networks

"We are part of the Causeway Coast and Glens ECOMUSEE network, which welcomes the public to see the skill of our craft in action. The term 'ECONMUSEE' means 'working museum', however the local network prefer the term 'artisans at work' as we feel that explains what we offer. Other businesses in this local network specialise in the areas of arts, crafts and agri-food. They similarly use their craft to promote cultural heritage and sustain traditional skills.

We find the main benefit of the ECOMUSEE network is the networking side of things, plus the exchange of ideas on the promotion of our and each other's business."

Identify new opportunities

"Our work with Game of Thrones started when they commissioned us to create a chain of office piece for the first series in 2008. Following that, we made crowns and various pieces over the years. Soon after this people arriving at the workshop wanted to talk about Game of Thrones which came with some challenges. Visitors would spend time discussing the show but they weren't interested in buying our products. I realised that we needed to offer something with a connection to the Game of Thrones that they would be prepared to buy, so I approached HBO about developing a licensed product. This was a long process but worth it in the end. Our Game of Thrones product range has been a success and the fans that visit us, do buy it."

Promote your business

"We market predominately to a local market advertising to them through billboards, buses and publications. Overall about 30 per cent of our sales comes from visitors - mostly at our Glenarm workshop. We advertise in a brochure that is handed out on cruise ships and also in hotel magazines and hardback books. Our website is by far our biggest advertising tool. We are actively promote on social media, mainly Facebook. We are trying to increase our Instagram presence, as we like to explore the success of different promotional channels."

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Brona Steenson

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Niche tourism opportunities

dcomisso — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 16:21:35 +0000

Niche tourism opportunities dcomisso Tue, 18/02/2014 - 16:21

Introduction

Green Tourism Certification

dcomisso — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 16:56:58 +0000

Green Tourism Certification dcomisso Tue, 11/02/2014 - 16:56

Quality grading for tourism businesses

In this guide:

Tourism five-star rating system

Tourism NI’s five star rating system indicates the quality and standards of various types of tourism business including accommodation and visitor experiences.
Tourism NI uses a one to five-star rating system for tourism businesses. The star ratings show the standard of customer care and the quality of services and facilities.

How does star-grading work?

The number of stars awarded shows the levels of quality customers can expect from the assessed business:

five star - an exceptional, world-class standard

four star - an excellent standard

three star - a very good standard

two star - good overall standard

one star - a fair and acceptable standard

Star gradings cover accommodation and tourism experiences, including:

serviced, self-catering and hostel accommodation

visitor experiences such as tours, activities centres and museums etc

caravan and camping parks

The awards focus on the standard of the welcome, hospitality and services provided. They also assess the presentation and condition of facilities.
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Advantages of quality grading for tourism businesses

Being quality graded by Tourism NI can bring a number of benefits to your business, including improving your reputation and giving you a competitive advantage.
Being associated with a well-known recognition scheme, such as the Tourism NI's Quality Grading Scheme, can make a big difference to how customers view your business.

As well as letting your customers know that what you offer is of nationally recognised standard, the benefits of being quality graded also include:

improve your reputation and be seen as a credible business

assure you customers about the quality of services and facilities you provide

increase customer satisfaction and the chance of repeat business

give you a competitive advantage over non-accredited businesses

Being quality graded also gives you the chance to promote your business in a number of ways:

use approved and recognised plaques, logos and signage to highlight and promote your star-rating

get access to Tourism NI's marketing and social media opportunities, and presence in a range of marketing and promotional campaigns

join Tourism NI's specialised Welcome Schemes which are free to all accommodation scheme members

Finally taking part in quality grading schemes will provide you with access to expert advice, training and ongoing 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ from the Tourism NI Quality Assessors. The Quality Assessors will assess your business once a year and advise you on how to make the most of your business.
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Tourist Accommodation Quality Grading Scheme

The entry requirements and assessment process for tourist accommodation businesses to get a star rating from Tourism NI as part of the Quality Grading Scheme.
In Northern Ireland, all tourist accommodation must be certified by Tourism NI to ensure minimum standards of service and quality are met. For more information, see tourist accommodation certification.

However, participating in the Tourist Accommodation Quality Grading Scheme is voluntary.
Tourism NI’s Quality Grading Scheme is the same common standards scheme that is used by the AA and other national tourist boards in Scotland, England and Wales.

The scheme uses a five-star rating system and is designed to give visitors a clear idea of the standards they can expect for:

hospitality

service

cleanliness

comfort

food

For details on what each star rating means, see Tourism Quality Grading Scheme and five-star rating system.

Entry requirements

To receive your star rating you must meet nationally recognised standards of customer care and quality.

The assessment criteria will be different for different types of accommodation. Entry requirements for hostels will vary greatly from entry requirements for B&Bs and hotels.

Assessment process

Your star rating will depend on the quality scores you receive in your Quality Grading Assessment. The assessment will be carried out by the Tourism NI Quality Assessors. You will be awarded a rating between one to five stars.

The assessment will focus on the quality of your premises and the visitor experience you provide. The assessment is separate from the statutory certification inspection.

For serviced accommodation premises there will be an initial mystery overnight stay. The assessor will not tell you they are an assessor. You will find this out the next morning when the assessor will take you through the assessment process and criteria.

The assessor will give you their notes and advice on possible improvement during the initial consultation. An assessment report and a Quality Grading Certificate and plaque will follow by post.

When you apply to be assessed under the Quality Grading Scheme, you will incur an assessment fee appropriate to your accommodation category.
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Tourism visitor experience quality grading scheme

The types of tourism business and attractions eligible for the Tourism NI visitor experience quality grading scheme, and the process to become quality graded.
Tourism businesses that offer a quality visitor experience to tourists are eligible to become members of the Visitor Experience Quality Grading Scheme.

Visitor experiences include:

museums

castles

historic houses

art venues

gardens

tours

wildlife experiences

garden centres

Visitors experiences are assessed by standard core criteria, and include pre-arrival and arrival experiences. Specific criteria, such as catering, retail and toilets, are tailored to reflect differences between types of experiences. These criteria are only included in the assessment if they are a part of the overall experience.

Assessment

To take part in the scheme, visitor experiences need to apply to Tourism NI for assessment. Assessment visits are carried out 'incognito', ie without prior notice. This allows the assessors to experience an authentic customer journey.

During the visit, the assessor will look at the condition and standard of facilities and services, and then give feedback on the findings. They will also provide advice on other sources of business 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ.

If your visitor experience achieves an award, Tourism NI will provide a range of benefits, including:

a plaque

a web logo

written report

award certificate

The annual subscription fee for businesses on Tourism NI's Visitor Experience Quality Grading Scheme is £150.

See an example of a local visitor experience participating in the Tourism NI Quality Grading Scheme.
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Quality grading of caravan and camping parks

Tourism NI’s voluntary five star rating quality grading scheme for caravan and camping parks and the facilities that are assessed.
Holiday, touring and camping parks and pitches can also apply for quality grading.

Under the UK-wide British Graded Holiday Parks Scheme, parks are inspected and given a star-rating to reflect overall quality standards of the services and facilities provided.

The highest rating of five stars is for parks of exceptional quality, whereas one star rating is for parks of acceptable quality.

The inspector will assess:

cleanliness

reception and efficiency of service

general maintenance, layout and landscaping

park facilities, such as shops, clubs and restaurants,

recreation, sport and leisure

park grounds and facilities, such as lighting, signage and refuse disposal

toilet and washing facilities

pitches, including layout, spacing and service connections

To obtain and maintain their star-rating, parks have to undergo annual assessments usually in a form of unannounced day visits.
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Accommodation welcome schemes

Tourism NI welcome schemes for accommodation providers to recognise businesses that cater for specific groups such as families, cyclists, film crews and more.
Tourism NI Welcome Schemes are designed for serviced, self-catering and hostel accommodation providers who are members of the Quality Grading Scheme.

The Welcome Schemes help direct visitors to suitable establishments that pay particular attention to their various needs. They recognise the special effort made by businesses to provide services that welcome visitors' particular need - be it walking, cycling, angling or simply holidaying with family.

The Welcome Schemes currently in operation in Northern Ireland are:

Anglers Welcome

Cyclists Welcome

Dogs Welcome

Families Welcome

Golfers Welcome

Walkers Welcome

Groups Welcome

Film Crew Welcome

Bikers Welcome

Mountain Bikers Welcome

The Welcome Schemes are free to all members of the Tourism NI Accommodation Quality Grading Scheme. If you wish to apply for one of the Welcome Schemes, your Quality Advisor will verify that the required facilities are available when they visit.
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Green Tourism Certification

Certification for tourism businesses who meet certain environmental performance criteria including wastes management and biodiversity: bronze, silver or gold.
Green Tourism certification is open to:

all types of tourist accommodation

visitor centres

activity providers

businesses that service the tourism industry.

Every two years each of the Green Tourism Members are visited and assessed by a qualified professional a set of environmental performance criteria, such as:

energy and water efficiency

waste management

biodiversity

procurement

community involvement

Following the assessment, businesses will acheive receive a bronze, silver, or gold award.
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Tourism Northern Ireland

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Is your business eligible for a Green Tourism award?

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Tourism Northern Ireland

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Tourist accommodation: reselling electricity, gas and utilities

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