Economy Minister launches next phase Tourism Recovery Action Plan

Economy Minister Diane Dodds has launched the next phase of her Tourism Recovery Action Plan.

Pictured with the Minister at the launch are (L to R) Janice Gault, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Hotels Federation, John McGrillen, Chief Executive Tourism NI who chaired the Working Group and Joanne Stuart, CEO NI Tourism Alliance.

The Tourism Recovery Action Plan, phase two, will bring forward further proposed actions to build on the support which the Northern Ireland Executive had provided to date.

Speaking after a meeting with the Tourism Recovery Steering Group in Belfast, the Economy Minister Diane Dodds said: 

“In April 2020 I established a Tourism Recovery Steering Group, which I chair, to assist in responding to the immediate, and devastating, impact of COVID-19 on the tourism and hospitality industry.

“My primary objective throughout the pandemic has been to protect jobs, prevent business closures and promote economic recovery. 

“Delivering on this phase of the Tourism Recovery Action Plan will enable us to provide tailored support for our tourism and hospitality industry. Key themes in phase two include creating consumer confidence, generating consumer demand and increasing the competitiveness of the region.

“Successful delivery of the Plan will require Government and industry to continue to work together in partnership. All parts of the tourism and hospitality sectors have a role to play in recovery. Through partnership working, we can ensure the actions within phase two of the plan deliver a solid foundation for recovery and a return to the record breaking tourism figures of 2019.”

John McGrillen, Chief Executive Tourism NI who chaired the Working Group added:

“Phase two of the Tourism Recovery Action Plan sets out the key challenges facing our tourism industry as it recovers from the pandemic and the actions required to support the tourism industry in the most targeted and effective way. Every sector of the industry provided extensive input to the formulation of this plan and I am grateful to everyone on the Working Group for their time and participation We look forward to working in collaboration with industry and Government partners to ensure that tourism makes an even greater contribution to the local economy and to local communities right across Northern Ireland in the future.”

Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said:

“I welcome the launch of phase two of the Tourism Recovery Action Plan. The pandemic has had a devastating impact on our industry, but we now look to the future with optimism. As overseas travel begins to restart, it is clear that keeping Northern Ireland front and centre in consumers’ minds will be critical. As soon as the time is right, Tourism Ireland will be ready to act, with a major new campaign in our key overseas markets. Tourism Ireland is committed to working with our colleagues in Tourism NI, the tourism industry and all of our stakeholders, to support the recovery.”

Joanne Stuart, CEO NI Tourism Alliance, said:

“We welcome the publication of the Tourism Recovery Action Plan phase two, and are pleased to see the joined up approach across the government departments to deliver the Plan. Tourism & Travel have proven their resilience and have invested millions of pounds in creating Covid-safe environments for staff and visitors. In the week that has seen the reopening of the majority of the tourism industry a commitment to ongoing investment and support is crucial to enable the industry to build back to financial viability.

“Creating the conditions to enable us to welcome visitors from home and overseas and attract talent into the industry are key to enable the industry to rebuild from the huge impacts of the pandemic. We will continue to engage with our members and Government to ensure that the actions within the plan are delivered on the ground.”

Janice Gault, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Hotels Federation added:

“The Northern Ireland Hotels Federation welcomes the publication of the Tourism Recovery Action Plan - phase two and looks forward to working in collaboration to ensure the actions are completed in a timely manner. This will help tourism infrastructure survive and aid the restoration of the industry to its previous levels. 

“There has been a recognition within Government of the importance of the sector and its growing role within the economy. Skills are a critical element for the entire industry and it is imperative that they are addressed as a matter of urgency. Support will be required not only in the short term but well into the future. Having invested over £700m over the last decade, hotels are keen to see the potential of the industry realised. Over the last year, tourism businesses have displayed great resilience and have pivoted as the pandemic has evolved. Hotels look forward to playing a central role in the rebuilding and growth of the Tourism industry in the future.”

Notes to editors: 

1. Photograph caption: Economy Minister Diane Dodds has launched the next phase of her Tourism Recovery Action Plan. Pictured with the Minister at the launch are (L to R) Janice Gault, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Hotels Federation, John McGrillen, Chief Executive Tourism NI who chaired the Working Group and Joanne Stuart, CEO NI Tourism Alliance.
2. Phase two of the Tourism Recovery Action Plan was approved by the Northern Ireland Executive on Thursday 27 May 2021. Details of the Action Plan are available on the Department's website.
3. The Department may take photographs and videos at announcements and events to publicise its work. Photographs, interviews, videos or other recordings may be issued to media organisations for publicity purposes or used in promotional material, including in publications, newspapers, magazines, other print media, on television, radio and electronic media (including social media and the internet). Photographs and videos will also be stored on the Department’s internal records management system. The Department will keep the photographs and recordings for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which they have been obtained. The Department’s Privacy Policy is available on our website.
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5. For media enquiries contact the Department for the Economy Press Office at pressoffice@economy-ni.gov.uk.
6. Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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