Tourism: A bumper summer for NI's hotel industry and next year already looking good
Bookings on the up and up and Influx of international visitors to top attractions such as the Giants Causeway
Last updated 16th Oct 2023
Hotels across Northern Ireland are enjoying their best year since being crippled by the covid pandemic.
According to Hotels Federation NI chief executive, Janice Gault, says business has returned to 2019 levels - and already bookings are looking good for next year.
In an interview with Downtown Radio & Cool FM, ahead of a major tourism and hospitality conference in Belfast, Janice said: "We've just come out of a busy summer period.
"It's been a good summer for the majority of people.
"A few pressure points, which I think everybody who trades these days would appreciate - rising costs, difficult to manage some issues around people and getting people to come.
"But the hotel side of the tourism sector has done well with a good return of international visitors.
"When I look back to say, when I look back to 2019, we probably are trading on a power with it.
"We are not as good as we were in 2018 in terms of occupancy, room rate would be a lot stronger and some of the other key metrics would be a lot stronger than they were in 2019, but they're not as good as the 2018 figures.
"But that's just the way things have moved on. Costs have gone up, gone up and industry has changed."
And Janice also said business was showing a significant boost for the economy.
"So hotels would count for 22% of the overall spend but we are confident that the report from 2022 will break the £3.5bn barrier," she added
On Tuesday (October 17th) and Wednesday the Federation is hosting Hospitality Exchange 2023 at the Crowne Plaza in Belfast.
The event is intended to bring together influencers and innovators from the hotel, food, and tourism sectors.
In previous years, Hospitality Exchange has attracted over 600 delegates over the course of two days with business leaders from the hotel, accommodation, and hospitality sectors along with those from allied tourism industries and government agencies.
Janice said that big global sporting events held in Northern Ireland over the next few years will have a significant impact on tourism.
These include two huge golf tournaments - the Irish Open in Newcastle next year and then in 2025 the British Open returns to Portrush.
In 2028 Northern Ireland will be co-hosting the football Euros.
"A global event and an event that is showcased on a world stage Is something you actually cannot buy the publicity for because you are going to have a large amount of people visiting you who normally wouldn't.," she said.
"You're going to have social media and TV footage and other news footage, be IT radio, TV, whatever, you're going to have all that and you can't actually ever pay for that."
Janice said Northern Ireland had a lot to offer outside of the big events.
"You know, there are certain things that are very iconic that really sort of sort of resonate with them (tourists), Titanic being one and the other being the Giants Causeway."