Tourism focus for industry summit

Tourism focus for industry summit

A special summit that will explore the economic impact of tourism and hospitality in Northern Ireland is being organised for later this month.

The aim of the Tourism Summit, which is being developed by the NI Hotel Federation, is to showcase the importance of the sectors here and to highlight future potential.

The event will be held at The Hilton in Belfast on March 22, with support from the First Trust Bank.

The event will highlight the need to liaise closely with government on the development, outline licensing and grant assistance for the sector and encourage businesses to take an active interest in shaping policy.

Mandy Patrick, MBE, president of the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation explained the rationale behind the event:

“The sector is not achieving its maximum potential,” she said. “Research commissioned by the NIHF identified key barriers to long-term growth, which are detailed in the report ‘Tourism 2020: Investing in our Future’.

“Policy change, such as a reduction in VAT to five per cent, could have a dramatic impact and given that we are approaching an election it is important that businesses within the sector lobby politicians to ensure that there is a collective understanding of the economic potential and the ways in which this can be realised.”

The summit will outline the contribution the sector makes to the local economy, explore political opinion and assess ways to ensure tourism reaches its full potential. The line-up of speakers will include Ufi Ibrahim, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association; Rohit Talwar, global futurist and Pól Ó Conghaile, award-winning travel writer. There will also be a panel discussion with representatives from each political party outlining their commitment to the sector post election.

Full details of the programme including how to book can be found at www.tourismsummit.co.uk