ALAN CLARKE,
Madam, - We note with disappointment Kevin Myers's Irishman's Diary of October 22nd. His comments on Northern Ireland as a holiday destination appear to be out of step with those of the majority of our visitors. The most recent independent visitor satisfaction survey, conducted by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, indicated a high degree of satisfaction with the Northern Ireland holiday experience whereby over 90 per cent of visitors' expectations were met or exceeded. A similar proportion of visitors said they were likely to recommend Northern Ireland to friends.
Mr Myers expresses his views on the Giant's Causeway and about how thousands of visitors are "lured by the literature of the strangest organisation on this island, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board".
Why "strange"? Is it strange that (a) for the past 54 years the NITB has worked to promote Northern Ireland as a holiday destination, for over 30 of those years in the face of huge difficulties; or (b) we strongly believe in the Northern Ireland tourism product, and do indeed produce a range of brochures promoting Northern Ireland, from regional guides to literature on many of our high quality products such as golf?
Incidentally, Northern Ireland currently holds the Established Golf Destination of the Year award from the International Association of Golf Tour Operators, beating, amongst others, Scotland, the Algarve and the US.
While we do promote the Giant's Causeway, the first World Heritage Site in the British Isles, and now one of only two on the island of Ireland, we also promote the whole of Northern Ireland which has much to offer holidaymakers. This is borne out by the positive feedback we have received from the hundreds of travel writers, journalists and broadcasters who have visited in recent years and are helping to reverse the negative perception of Northern Ireland abroad.
Unfortunately Mr Myers continues to perpetuate well-worn myths rather than describing the reality experienced by our visitors. The initial reaction of first-time visitors to Northern Ireland is surprise at the natural beauty of our unspoilt landscape, the friendliness of the people and the normality of life here, as opposed to media stereotypes.
The issue of paramilitary symbols in certain parts of the North is a serious one and has been raised by visitors and visiting media alike. While NITB echoes these concerns, the fact remains that such matters are the preserve of individual councils and can best be tackled at community level. However, we continue to work with local authorities to address this issue.
Mr Myers describes the north coast as "breathtakingly beautiful" and then bemoans the fact that the coastline contains nothing man-made. Yet he is apparently upset by the man-made developments further along the north coast. It seems we are "damned if we do, and damned if we don't"! Investment in Northern Ireland tourism over the past 10 years has seen a growth in the numbers of hotels, guesthouses and self-catering properties, all of which are expected to provide high standards of product and service. The quality of restaurants and pubs along our coast is also very good, as is that in the rest of Northern Ireland.
Marketing Northern Ireland is not an easy task by anyone's standards. We do not fool ourselves that everything is as it should be, particularly when so many of the factors influencing Northern Ireland's image are beyond our control.
We take tourism seriously and work with our many partners throughout Northern Ireland to provide the best quality visitor experience possible. Articles such as Mr Myers's do an injustice to NITB and to the tourism sector throughout Northern Ireland. - Yours, etc.,
ALAN CLARKE,
Chief Executive,
Northern Ireland
Tourist Board,
St Anne's Court,
Belfast 1.