Tourism Northern Ireland welcomes luxury travel buyers from China to the region

Organised as part of Showcase Britain, the visit was made possible thanks to a collaboration between VisitBritain, Tourism Northern Ireland and Tourism Ireland.

The group took part in the familiarisation trip to sample luxury experiences and accommodation offerings in the region with a view to including them in future inbound programmes for their clients.

The group began their visit to Northern Ireland yesterday with a trip to Titanic Belfast, where they enjoyed a tour of the visitor attraction.

Last night, the buyers were officially welcomed to Belfast by Mayor Micky Murray during a special reception at city hall.

The group were also met by John McGrillen, CEO of Tourism Northern Ireland, who addressed the visitors in the Lord Mayor’s parlour.

Also present at the reception was Consul General, Li Nan, Nikki Paterson, Business Solutions Manager at Tourism Northern Ireland, Iris Wang, Asia Manager at Tourism Ireland, and Tatia Shi and Angie Tong, from VisitBritain.

In the coming days, the group will visit a host of Northern Ireland tourist attractions and experiences and sample some of the region’s famous food, drink and accommodation offerings.

Stops on the tour include Waterman House, the Giant’s Causeway, The Bushmills Inn, Glenshane Country Farm , Hillsborough Castle & Gardens and the Game of Thrones Studio Tour.

The group will be staying in The Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast, by Hotel Partners, the Galgorm Collection and at the Slieve Donard.

Nikki Paterson, Business Solutions Manager at Tourism Northern Ireland, said: “This familiarisation trip is an excellent opportunity for local businesses to tap into the luxury travel market in China.

“It presents our local industry with an exciting opportunity to showcase their products and services and establish great connections with this very select group of travel buyers.

“The group are keen to discover high-end experiences which appeal to affluent travellers, distinctive offerings that set us apart and products which are market-ready and attractive to Chinese travellers.

“Under our Embrace a Giant Spirit brand we have built a strong and distinctive regional spread of experiences and we are very proud of the world class offering we have.”

She added: “This trip has been a fantastic opportunity to work with our tourism partners in VisitBritain and Tourism Ireland and strengthen those working relationships.”