| Culzie | Date: Friday, 2012-03-23, 4:13 PM | Message # 1 |
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| Brett Ingram if ever a man was right in what he said it was you. A prophet and a man before his time. You have been vindicated.
Tourist confusion over border ‘could be costly’ News Letter
Published on Friday 23 March 2012 08:28
MARKETING tourist destinations with the name Northern Ireland instead of Ireland can confuse would-be North American visitors, a leading industry expert has warned.
But Tourism Minister Arlene Foster defended the “unique identity of Northern Ireland” which she says will take centre stage as a global holiday destination this year.
Yesterday delegates at a major tourism conference in Belfast were told that potential tourists from the US and Canada can struggle to find locations on the internet because they are not really aware the island is divided by a border.
Roger Brooks, who is president of Seattle-based Destination Development International, a company that advises countries on how to maximise their tourism potential, said local operators need to understand how outsiders perceive Northern Ireland.
His recommendations came as it emerged that 100,000 cruise line passengers are set to visit the region this year – a new record.
Mr Brooks, keynote speaker at the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) event, related his own experiences with his satellite navigation system on a drive from Dublin to Belfast over the weekend.
“I had to type in the city so I typed in Belfast and then I put in the address of the Merchant Hotel and then do you know what it said? It said there is no Belfast in Ireland,” he recounted.
“So then I went: let me type in Belfast, United Kingdom, and it said there is no Belfast in the United Kingdom. But we found one in Ohio.
“So I had to type in Northern Ireland and then it came up. If I put in Ireland it doesn’t find you.”
Mr Brooks said the issue was important to visitor attractions north of the border because many would not appear on internet searches if people only used the keyword Ireland.
“So sometimes you have to go out there and buy those keywords because in the States, in those places, we see Belfast as part of Ireland,” he said.
“So sometimes, even though it’s not correct, you have to do that because we see Ireland as this great island and we don’t see it as countries, so we had a hard time finding your cities using search engines.
“Make sure we can find you if we don’t get it right, and that’s what you have to understand.”
In a statement to the News Letter, Tourism Minister Arlene Foster, who attended the conference, said: “It is very important that the unique identity of Northern Ireland continues to be promoted around the world.
“Tourism Ireland is currently carrying out the most extensive programme of marketing activity and campaigns ever undertaken for Northern Ireland, and there has never been a better time to do so than in 2012.
“It is the year when Northern Ireland will take centre stage with new, iconic visitor attractions, unprecedented events and historic anniversaries.
“NI2012 offers a unique opportunity to change perceptions and confidently put Northern Ireland on the global tourism map – and the signs are already encouraging.”
Earlier, the DUP minister told delegates: “2012 is a stepping stone, albeit a vitally important one, on a journey to transform the industry into one that can employ up to 50,000 people throughout Northern Ireland in the next decade.”
During his address, Mr Brooks also emphasised the importance of utilising the power of the internet, noting that almost 95 per cent of visitors research their trip on their computer.
He warned attractions not to market themselves as having “something for everyone”, stressing the need to find a feature that marks them out as different.
“What do you have that I can’t get any closer to home?” he challenged delegates.
“The world’s at our fingertips in seconds. What sets you apart from everyone else? Why should I invest in your destination, why should we move there, why should we visit you?
“So whatever it is that makes you different you need to hang your hat on that.”
Ahead of the event, NITB chairman Howard Hastings revealed that Northern Ireland was set for a record-breaking year, buoyed by interest in the Titanic.
“Tourism Ireland on the Discover Ireland website has gone off the Richter scale with Titanic searches in the last month – it really is fantastic,” he said.
Mr Hastings said almost 100,000 tickets had been pre-sold for the new Titanic Belfast visitor attraction and he said a similar number of people would be disembarking in Northern Ireland from cruise liners.
“It’s approaching 100,000 people coming on cruise liners this year, which is a record number,” he said.
“It’s about the same amount of ships as last year but each ship is proportionately bigger than before, so there is some really good bellwethers forward-looking.”
Ulster Protestants consider themselves to be a separate nation. This nation they call Ulster
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| RSAUB | Date: Friday, 2012-03-23, 7:05 PM | Message # 2 |
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Colonel general
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| Just more proof that our land should be known by its rightful title of Ulster.
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| Culzie | Date: Friday, 2012-03-23, 9:08 PM | Message # 3 |
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| Its got the history behind it,and a history which was one of perpetual struggle and defence against ''the hosts of Ireland''. And in later times it was the same.
'Meanwhile the Ulster Unionists leaders elaborated their contingency plans for establishing a provisional goverment,disabling the police,and taking control of communications and supplies. Already in September 1913,Carson had announced his readiness to assume control of such a goverment upon implemention of Home Rule,and the Ulster Unionist Council had given its authority and support to that proposal.'
Ulster Protestants consider themselves to be a separate nation. This nation they call Ulster
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