Local people encouraged to go on walking tours of the city

But a local award-winning tour company got back to business this week and are preparing themselves for an influx of staycationers over the summer months.

Martin McCrossan City Tours had been anticipating a booming year for tourism in the city, with the Clipper festival just one of the many events planned to attract visitors.

However, Covid-19 caused the cancellation of planned events and effectively put an end to international travel.

Charlene Blackburn, from the company, said that she could see the devastating impact coming long before many realised how bad it was going to be.

“We were thinking this year was going to be bigger than ever, because that is the way it usually is with tourism. By the end of January we weren’t getting our normal level of bookings and we started to realise how bad it was going to be.

“Tourism is one of those industries where one tiny thing can happen and it will be the first to be affected and the last to recover because it is a luxury.”

For the last three months, Charlene and her team have been planning how to get the business operating again and brain storming at ways to attract a different demographic.

“We were expecting an influx of visitors as a result of the global popularity of Derry Girls. We had been looking at different avenues to attract a different demographic and even more local people so we decided to start a Derry Girls tour.

“Our main customers are international visitors, mainly from North America, Canada and Australia, who are in the 60 plus age category. At the minute we don’t have international visitors, but even when it is possible a lot of people may not want to get on an aeroplane.”

Charlene said the city tours offer something for everybody and she hopes that more local people will take the opportunity to go on one.

“During lockdown we have seen a lot of local people going places they have never been before and walking on the Walls for maybe the first time in years. We want to tap into that and get them to come out on tour with us.

“One thing that visitors always comment on is the people of the city and that they are what make it such a great place. The people in Derry are so, so passionate about this city and it would make it even more special if everyone knew all the history.”

She added that the global pandemic has also made people realise how important it is to support local businesses.

“This pandemic has been awful for so many businesses and many may not bounce back. If we had any more overheads I don’t know how we would have survived.”

The tours will be socially distanced and guides have hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes, which can be provided to the visitors, as well as masks and visors on their person at all times.

They kicked off the tours this week with a group of six women who had travelled to Derry from Galway.

The two hour Derry Girls tour takes place every Saturday at 3pm, starting on July 4, from the Derry Girls mural and other tours take place four times a day, seven days a week.