Tourism funding shock for city

The news comes as the city’s council meets this afternoon to discuss ‘Tourism Development’ and a strategy for supporting the growth of events and festivals in Londonderry.

The breakdown of Tourist Board funding was provided by Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster, in response to questioning from an MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone.

Mrs Foster’s figures show that the lion’s share of funding in the last five years went to Belfast City Council, at a total well in excess of £40 million, representing over 62 per cent of all funding from theNorthern Ireland Tourist Board.

The council area with the next highest level of funding in the five-year time-frame was Moyle – with just under £10 million.

Londonderry has received more than £5 million worth of capital investment, while Limavady Borough Council received around a tenth of one per cent of all investment.

A total of 18 of the 26 council areas in Northern Ireland received a higher level of funding than Limavady Borough Council.

Their approximate £70,000 worth of funding over five years amounts to a comparative pittance when it is contrasted with the millions received in council areas such as Moyle and Down.

For every pound of capital investment spent in Northern Ireland by the Tourist Board, just 8.3 pence ends up in Londonderry, and it does not amount to much more when Limavady is included.

The figures were released by the Stormont Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment in response to questioning from Sinn Féin MLA Phil Flanagan. He wrote to Arlene Foster to ask the Minister to “detail the amount of capital investment by the Tourist Board in each council area in each of the last five years.”

Her response outlined “the total amount of financial assistance paid to tourism related businesses by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board in each of the last five financial years”, broken down by District Council area.

The revelation comes as Derry City Council meet this afternoon to discuss an “Events and Festivals Strategy and Action Plan” - which looks at Tourism in Londonderry as an “economic driver.”

Town Clerk and Chief Executive Sharon O’Connor is expected to recommend that Derry City Council puts aside funding for “external specialist advice” to support the strategy for developing events and festivals.

The ‘Events and Festivals Strategy and Action Plan’ is intended to support major regional, national and international events in Londonderry in order to boost the local economy by attracting many more tourists.

In a report Ms O’Connor prepared for today’s committee meeting, the council’s Chief Executive states: “The plan will be developed against the wider strategic context of our designation as the inaugural UK City of Culture and will ensure long-term legacy from 2013 and sustained programming of iconic events with maximum economic and social return.

“Modelling best practice in competitor destinations, it will improve the environment for supporting the growth of events and festivals, recognising their important role as economic driver for the City and region.

“The scope of the Strategy has included events managed, delivered, funded and supported by Derry City Council as well as events organised by other organisations including community, sporting, arts, cultural and business.”