‘Derry part of Embrace a Giant Spirit rather than the Wild Atlantic Way’

He claimed that ‘Northern Ireland - Embrace a Giant Spirit’ had resulted in a 30 per cent increase in people showing an interest in visiting the north.

He made the claims in response to an Assembly Question table by Sinn Féin MLA Pádraig Delargy who asked the ‘Minister for the Economy what progress has been made to include Derry and the North West in the Wild Atlantic Way tourist trail’.

Mr. Lyons replied: “It was clear for many years that if Northern Ireland was to compete effectively for tourism spend, it urgently required its own distinctive tourism brand, which would be reflective of the experience that a visitor truly encounters when on a trip to Northern Ireland.

“The initial priority was to create a brand that would help the whole of Northern Ireland to stand out in the marketplace and ensure that this new brand was embedded with both the local industry and the international trade.

Gordon Lyons tells Sinéad McLaughlin to ‘talk up’ Derry as she questions FDI disparity“Following extensive national and international testing, a new Experience Brand was developed and launched in 2019: Northern Ireland – Embrace a Giant Spirit.

“When this brand was tested against existing marketing content, there was a 30 per cent increase in the number of people showing an interest in visiting Northern Ireland.

“This potential increase in visitors would contribute significantly to the overall longer-term objective of growing our tourism sector to a level that will deliver a two billion pounds benefit to the Northern Ireland economy.”

He said Derry is being promoted as part of the new brand. “The Causeway Coastal Route and Walled City of Londonderry are two key offers within the new brand and several brand demonstrators have been identified, supported and showcased in each area,” he stated.

Northern Ireland - Embrace a Giant Spirit was launched in November 2019.

At the time Tourism NI said that over the next decade the new brand will benefit the north by: increasing our domestic and international reputation as an attractive holiday destination; building the number of visitors who come here from international and local destinations; increasing the length of time visitors stay away from home; increasing the amount of money visitors spend; and supporting the growth of our small, medium and larger sized tourism businesses.

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