Minister Murphy addresses first meeting of Tourism Partnership Board

The first meeting of a Tourism Partnership Board, established by Economy Minister Conor Murphy to grow our tourism offering, has been held in Belfast.

Economy Minister Conor Murphy pictured at the first meeting of the Tourism Partnership Board in Belfast.

The first meeting of a Tourism Partnership Board, established by Economy Minister Conor Murphy to grow our tourism offering, has been held in Belfast.

The Board brings together representatives from tourism and hospitality, Executive Departments, and local government. It is chaired by Stephen McNally, who has over 40 years’ experience in the hotel industry.

The purpose of the Board is to develop and oversee a Tourism Action Plan that will be co-designed and co-delivered with the industry in order to further grow tourism and maximise its contribution to the Minister’s Economic Vision

Addressing the members at its first meeting, the Minister said: “Collaboration and co-design are the basis upon which my economic vision will become a reality. I want this group to bring the real issues which are important to the sector to the fore, and to work together to continue to grow our tourism offering. 

“It has an important role to play in supporting the development and refinement of an innovative Tourism Action Plan. The collective knowledge, experience and expertise on this Board will be invaluable as a source of counsel for me, for my department, and for our delivery partners.”

The Minister concluded:
“The outlook for local tourism is very positive. I welcome the latest tourism statistics which have pushed us past the £1.2billion mark in terms of tourism expenditure. These figures show a sector that is thriving. We must seek to grow this figure is a sustainable way.”

Notes to editors: 

1. More information on the Tourism Partnership Board, including its membership, is available on the Tourism Partnership Board page of the DfE website. 
    
2. The Department has published its response to its public consultation on a draft Tourism Strategy for Northern Ireland which outlined a 10-year plan to increase the value of tourism here. 
    
3. A key industry priority identified from the consultation was for an Action Plan to be put in place which will bring forward initiatives to grow the sector. This Tourism Partnership Board has been established by the Minister to help take this forward.
    
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