Tourism slump takes a jobs toll at Hillsborough

Among the most recent victims of Covid-19’s assault on the tourism sector is Hillsborough Castle, where 33 jobs have been lost.

Historic Royal Palaces, which manages the 100-acre site, said in mid-September that a consultation process had started over the redundancies.

The financial strain caused by the pandemic is being blamed for the job losses at the attraction, which is also the Queen’s official residence in Northern Ireland.

A spokesperson for Historic Royal Palaces conceded that the organisation’s finances had been hit hard by the lockdown, the prolonged closure of the castle and the significant downturn in international visitors to Northern Ireland.

‘We would not be proposing redundancies if we had not exhausted all other avenues,’ it added. ‘Since the pandemic hit, we have stopped all but essential expenditure and have made full use of the government’s Job Retention Scheme. At present, the Castle is being supported by HRP’s charitable reserves, which we expect to be exhausted at the beginning of next year. We continue to pursue all remaining avenues for additional funding and are enormously grateful for the continuing support of our members, donors and visitors.’

The consultation process should be complete by the end of October.