Belfast City is invited to have a say on Council’s new tourism plan

Belfast City Council has launched the 12 week consultation on its draft tourism plan which is inviting people, locally and globally, to ‘make yourself at home’.

The draft document sets out a blueprint for the future of tourism in Belfast, highlighting the importance of tourism and global connectivity to our economic and social wellbeing.

It also recognises the significant contribution and success to date of the ‘traditional’ tourism sector and the role of businesses and local communities in helping to curate the city’s cultural offering – and of their crucial role in recovery post-Covid.

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Kate Nicholl, said: “This plan has evolved from our cultural strategy which sets out the need to develop a sustainable and authentic tourism offering. While we look to other cites for inspiration, we want to celebrate our city for all that it is – our quirks, our complex history, our increasingly rich diversity, not to mention our people and our stories.

“This is what people connect with and we firmly believe that the success of our visitor economy will be defined by these stories. People are our most valuable asset - they make our city, and Belfast is known across the world for its warm welcome; now we’re opening our doors and inviting to people to come and make themselves at home.”

The draft plan has been aligned to Council’s cultural strategy, recognising the importance of a thriving and varied cultural scene to attracting and growing tourism, which in turn leads to job creation within the local economy.

“This inclusive growth is crucial to our city’s recovery post-Covid and our future resilience, and the tourism sector has huge potential to grow,” added Cllr Nicholl.

“I would encourage everyone to have their say, especially those within our local tourism sector – we want to hear from as many people as possible and this is an important opportunity to help shape our future city.”

The ambitious plan also focuses on delivering the tourism priorities set out in the Belfast Agenda, as well as providing strategic context to the Belfast Region City Deal and supporting economic and social recovery post-Covid.

People can have their say via the Council’s online engagement platform yoursay.belfastcity.gov.uk

The consultation closes on February 4.

A series of face-to-face workshops and focus groups with the tourism sector are also planned in the coming weeks.

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