Book Description

The Committee's report examines the nature of tourism in Northern Ireland, its impact on and importance for the overall economy, and the effectiveness of measures taken by Government and other relevant agencies to develop, promote and support the marketing of Northern Ireland as a tourist destination. The Committee's recommendations are addressed to the Northern Ireland Office (which took back responsibility for tourism in Northern Ireland when the power-sharing executive was suspended in October 2002) but if a power-sharing executive is re-established then responsibility for tourism will revert to the restored Executive and, accordingly, responsibility for scrutiny of this policy area would revert to the Committees of a restored Assembly. The Committee's report makes 27 recommendations to help Northern Ireland maximise its tourist potential, and concludes that if government recognises the enormous economic impact of tourism, and if private enterprise in co-operation with statutory bodies can develop this recognition into a coherent strategy, there is no reason why the success of tourism in the Republic of Ireland should not be replicated in Northern Ireland to the advantage of the whole island of Ireland and with Northern Ireland itself enjoying an equivalent status to Scotland and Wales as a UK tourist destination.