Selected hotels in Northern Ireland will offer a pound-sterling parity rate from February to April to attract visitors from the Republic. The deal effectively offers a 15 per cent discount on published prices and will be promoted with a £200,000 marketing grant from the British taxpayer.
Mr Adam Ingram, the Northern Ireland Minister with responsibility for tourism, said in Dublin yesterday there was no point in denying that the present situation in Northern Ireland was not helpful for tourism there. But, he added, the security problem was always a factor and had not prevented tens of thousands of people from the Republic visiting Northern Ireland in the past.
Mr Ingram was speaking during a visit to the Northern Ireland Tourist Board pavilion at the RDS Holiday World exhibition.
The marketing campaign in the Republic will run from February to April, with a total budget of £200,000 sterling. The 45 participating hotels will offer a rate of £49 for two nights' accommodation with full Irish breakfast.
Mr Ingram said: "We are conscious of the fluctuation between sterling and the punt at the moment. For this reason, participating hotels will operate a poundper-punt rate for the duration of the campaign. The Republic of Ireland is a key market for Northern Ireland and we are determined to price our tourism product as competitively as possible."
The campaign is also being targeted at two other important markets for Northern Ireland, Scotland and north-west England.