THE Twelfth is being promoted as a "major tourist attraction" in Ulster for American visitors.
A delegation from the Order including Grand Secretary of the Orange Order, Drew Nelson, have just returned from a four day trip to New York, organised in conjunction with British and Irish authorities, the Ulster Scots Agency, the Ulster-Scots Commun
ity Network and Tourism Ireland.
Mr Nelson said: "A huge amount of work has been done to develop the cultural aspects of the Twelfth and make it one of the major tourist attractions in Northern Ireland.
"We believe there is massive potential in the United States to encourage people to visit Northern Ireland around the time of the Twelfth."
There are currently two Orange lodges meeting in New York, one in the Bronx and the other in Manhattan.
Mr Nelson said he was "delighted by the enthusiasm and ability of the members we met in New York" and said he hoped the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland will be able to offer practical support to them as they continue to expand.
Others on the US trip included Orange Order Grand Treasurer, Mervyn Bishop, Education Officer, David Scott, Project Officer Dr Jonathan Mattison, and County Grand Secretary of Cavan, Charlie McAdam.
They were accompanied by George Patton, chief executive of the Ulster Scots Agency and William Humphrey, chief executive of the Ulster-Scots Community Network, who are both Orangemen.
The huge interest in the Twelfth as a tourist attraction was first discovered at the Smithsonian Festival in Washington in 2007, according to Mr Nelson, who said, "literally tens of millions of Americans can trace their roots back to Ulster Protestant emigrants".
