People already cancelling accommodation for North West 200 after news 2023 race event in jeopardy, says Causeway Chamber of Commerce president

Anne Marie McGoldrick, speaking to the News Letter on Friday, emphasised the importance of the North West 200 to local businesses.

“The North West 200 is hugely important to the area,” she said. “It brings so many people from all over the world to us. Everything is organised so well in advance and, from a business point of view, it is a huge dependency. Economically, it brings so much money at that time of the year. We’re a big tourist part of the world, and this is a big event.

“What is really disappointing is that this is so last minute. We’ve been planning around this for months. It has gone from a weekend event to a week-long event. From our point of view, economically, it is massive.

“I know that, already, we have had people cancelling AirBnBs and hotels. That is a massive blow for us."

She described the mood in the area as “flat” following news that the race event may not go ahead this year.

"There’s real disappointment, it’s flat, and it’s come as a bit of a shock – but we’re hopeful we get a resolution to this. We always get a lift in the summer, but in that week we expect a lot more footfall into those restaurants, cafes, bars and other businesses,” she said.”