February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Tourism faces another bad year because of fear of flying, loss of airline services and violence on the streets of Belfast, according to industry sources in Ireland.
Earlier this year, Alan Clarke, the Northern Ireland tourism chief, said the figures could have been “much worse.”
“The setting up of Tourism Ireland, with its network of overseas offices, will mean that Northern Ireland will be more aggressively marketed,” he said.
Ireland’s tourism office will issue its barometer survey next month on 2002, and it is expected to show no improvement on 2001.
Meanwhile, the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation, which represents hoteliers, also indicated the Republic is heading for another poor year.
ITIC chief executive Brendan Leahy said trade with the United States could be down by as much as 20 percent and that many of the positive factors “did not deliver.”
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