AQW 11855/22-27


Mr John Blair
Alliance Party
South Antrim


Tabled Date: 14/05/2024
Answered On Date: 23/05/2024
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy what steps her Department is taking to promote tourism in the South Antrim constituency.


Answer:
Tourism NI (TNI) has regularly promoted the South Antrim Area through its seasonal marketing campaigns which are targeted to specific market segments based on extensive research. One of the most recent pieces of promotional activity was the launch of a major Spring advertising campaign on 22 January 2024 which ran until 31 March.
The campaign featured TV, radio, press, press supplements, outdoor, social and digital advertising, all underpinned by a comprehensive PR strategy. South Antrim featured specifically in Causeway Coastal Route press advertorials as well as a 24-page supplement and bespoke radio stings.
Planning is in train for the next campaign due to take place in autumn, and with regional balance one of my key priorities, TNI will ensure that regions are featured.
On the DiscoverNorthernIreland.com website, TNI continually promotes County Antrim related content, with a dedicated landing page, of which Antrim Castle Gardens has featured as the lead image since the Spring’24 campaign. In total there are 215 tourism products in the South Antrim area featured on Discovernorthernireland.com.
TNI also works with its partner Tourism Ireland to host international media, with South Antrim featuring regularly in many media itineraries, including the influencer Jordan Ezra of the Daily Telegraph who has more than 200K followers. Influencers Tom Trotter and Rhiannon Bailey also recently stayed at the Rabbit Hotel as part of their media itinerary.
TNI has an ongoing programme of PR activity North and South, with tourism businesses and visitor experiences from South Antrim regularly promoted in PR content, media trips, and Feature profiling. There is a media familiarisation trip to the South with a journalist from the Irish Sun planned to the area in July 2024.
TNI also works closely with the tourism industry in South Antrim and across the North to support the development of engaging and immersive tourism experiences.