Tourism funding must be used to promote Northern Ireland and not 'the North' say unionist politicians
All three unionist parties have said that Tourism Northern Ireland must ensure that its funding goes on promoting Northern Ireland, not the North.
Politicians from the UUP, DUP and TUV pressed home that point in response to a new tranche of money being handed out by the agency.
As the News Letter has previously reported, Tourism NI, despite having ‘Northern Ireland’ in its name, has been using ‘the North’ to refer to the territory it is tasked with promoting.
This appears to have begun in 2024, when Sinn Fein took over its parent department, the Department for the Economy.
For example, Tourism NI’s 10-year business plan, published last year, contained 21 iterations of the term “the North”, and five of “Northern Ireland” (three of which were references to organisations or laws with “Northern Ireland” in their name, making the use of the term unavoidable).
This month the department announced that £325,000 of funding has been offered to six events under Tourism NI’s International Tourism Events Fund, which is geared towards promoting “events that attract significantly high levels of visitors here while also generating international media coverage, which helps to showcase Northern Ireland as a must-see travel destination”, according to the department.
The funding is as follows: North West 200, £65,000; Stendhal Festival, £30,000; Foyle Maritime Festival, £45,000; SuperCupNI, £35,000; Other Voices, £50,000; and Londonderry’s Halloween celebrations, £100,000.
DUP MLA Phillip Brett said of the extra funding that “the public has every right to ask whether Tourism NI intends to promote Northern Ireland or continue its increasingly absurd obsession with referring to our country as ‘The North’”..
He added: “It is difficult to justify spending taxpayers’ money marketing a place while simultaneously avoiding its proper name.
"Tourism NI was established to promote Northern Ireland, not to dilute or rebrand it to satisfy the political sensitivities of others.”
UUP deputy leader Diana Armstrong told the News Letter: “No successful business would casually rename or dilute its best known product, particularly when that name carries international recognition.
“So why does Tourism NI continue to refer to Northern Ireland as ‘the North’?
"That terminology weakens the distinct Northern Ireland brand and risks injecting the constitutional debate into our tourism branding.
“Northern Ireland’s name should not be treated as contentious
"Tourism NI and the Department for the Economy… should not duck and dodge the name of the very place they are tasked with selling to the world.”
And TUV MP Jim Allister said “taxpayers are entitled to expect that it will actually promote Northern Ireland”.
“As the MP for North Antrim I have some of the most stunning scenery in the UK and a tourism offering second to none,” he said.
"It doesn’t need to be tagged on to the marketing campaign in the Irish Republic."
The Department for the Economy, in response, told the News Letter: “The Department announced that Tourism NI has offered a total of £325,000 to the organisers of six events in the North West, through their International Tourism Events Fund.
"The six events are expected to collectively generate around £21 million for the local economy.”
Meanwhile minister Archibald repeated her previous statement that “the diversity of language and terminology used by people across our society in this regard should be treated with respect and tolerance”.