MLAs show support for hospitality industry at Stormont event

MLAs from across Northern Ireland gathered at Stormont to show their support for the hospitality industry during an event marking Tourism & Hospitality Week. The event, organised by Hospitality Ulster, emphasised the crucial role that hospitality plays in driving the local economy and its contribution to skills development throughout the region.

Hospitality Ulster’s Chief Executive, Colin Neill, highlighted the significance of the industry’s impact, stating: “Our message in meeting with MLAs today was simple: Hospitality Matters. We wanted to showcase the importance of the industry to the local economy, as well as point out how we have been delivering on the Executive’s skills development and growth plans. We feel that, despite all this hard work, the industry still isn’t operating at its full potential.”

The event featured presentations from prominent industry and educational stakeholders, including Stephen Magorian, Chair of Hospitality Ulster and Managing Director of the Horatio Group, which operates pubs such as Horatio Todd’s and the Northern Whig. Also present were Mark Rice, Curriculum Business Lead for Hospitality & Tourism at Belfast Metropolitan College, and Professor Ioannis Pantelidis, Head of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ulster University.

Attendees were informed how the sector supports 72,000 jobs, making it the fourth-largest private-sector employer in Northern Ireland, contributing £2 billion annually to the economy. With tourism contributing £1.2 billion each year, hospitality accounts for two-thirds of this spend. Neill emphasised that, for every £100 spent in hospitality, £58 is retained in the local economy, reinforcing the industry’s impact on community wealth.

Neill also used the opportunity to call for key policy changes, particularly around the costs and regulatory pressures faced by hospitality businesses. “There are urgent matters to be dealt with if we are to make that a reality, such as reform of business rates and the extension of the 100% Rural Rate Relief for Pubs from Britain to Northern Ireland,” he added.

He further urged the Department of Finance to commission independent research into reducing VAT for hospitality and tourism specific to Northern Ireland to present to the UK Treasury, stating, “If we can deliver on these asks and really recognise the value of the hospitality industry, we know that our operators will deliver on the industry’s potential.”

The event concluded with a discussion on the importance of creating employment pathways for underrepresented groups and improving employee wellbeing through initiatives like The Wellbeing Promise—a commitment by employers to support mental health and offer a balanced work-life environment.

Photo caption: (L-R) Colin Johnston, Managing Director, Galgorm Collection; Minister for Communities Gordon Lyon MLA; Colin Neill, Chief Executive, Hospitality Ulster; Cheryl Brownlee MLA