The summer of 2025, with its sunny days and warmer weather, gave Northern Ireland’s tourism and hospitality industry the perfect platform from which to showcase our world class offering.
Of course, while we can’t always guarantee sunshine, we can promise that travellers who choose to visit here will experience not only our famous giant welcome but also first-class food and drink, rich and diverse attractions, and high-quality accommodation.
We know that Northern Ireland’s tourism and hospitality offer regularly receives positive reviews - feedback from visitors that their expectations have been exceeded.
This month, we will be celebrating the tourism and hospitality sector and its people during our second annual Tourism & Hospitality Week.
Running from Tuesday September 23 until Wednesday October 1, the dedicated week aims to highlight the importance of the sector to the local economy and shine a spotlight on the value that the industry provides.
Not only does the industry generate £1.1 billion for Northern Ireland’s economy, but it supports more than 70,000 jobs across the region and almost 6,000 businesses.
Indeed, it is often overlooked as an industry which positively contributes to communities in almost every corner of the north, providing jobs and incomes in rural and urban areas alike.
The week-long celebration, which will incorporate World Tourism Day on September 27, is being brought together by a broad partnership including Tourism NI, Hospitality Ulster, the Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance (NITA), the Northern Ireland Hotel Federation (NIHF), Tourism Ireland, the Further & Higher Education Network and Ulster University as well as tourism and hospitality businesses and several Councils across Northern Ireland.
The week will feature a host of key events which demonstrate the sector’s ability to simultaneously showcase our history, heritage and landscapes while driving regional balance and the provision of good jobs.
Events include NITA’s annual conference, a celebration for businesses who are part of Tourism NI’s `Embrace A Giant Spirit’ portfolio, learning sessions for college tutors who deliver tourism-related further and higher education courses, a Tourism NI Food and Drink network collaboration event and a gathering of key stakeholders and businesses involved in the implementation of the `Embracing Outdoor Tourism’ framework.
There will be special offers and prizes available too – so look out for them through our social media and digital channels!
It is well known that our tourism and hospitality offer is a source of great civic pride and as an industry, we are ambitious, with a strategic goal for tourism to deliver £2 billion of spend from overnight visitors by 2035.
To do that we need to support visitor attractions and experiences, tour companies, accommodation providers, pubs and restaurants, to ensure they are equipped to deliver the experience which entices visitors to book return trips and recommend us to their friends and family.
This year, our sector has been able to bask in the glow of successful major events such as The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, which created a huge buzz about Northern Ireland while hugely benefitting the local economy. We want to celebrate those achievements.
Tourism & Hospitality Week will also provide the opportunity to further consider some of the challenges facing businesses in the sector and how we can continue to work together to address them.
Having come through the Covid pandemic, many businesses are battling rising costs for food, fuel and energy, increases in the minimum wage and national insurance contributions, and challenges finding and retaining staff.
This has all happened at a time when the cost-of-living has risen and people are less confident about spending on leisure activities and travel.
Despite these challenges, we have consistently seen that the tourism and hospitality sector is resilient and has continued to innovate and evolve. I have no doubt that this will continue in the years ahead.
- David Roberts is director of strategic development at Tourism Northern Ireland
