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Tuesday, 27 July 2010

Tourism drops after city rioting

A local bus company says it has suffered a 20% to 25% drop in trade, since the serious rioting in the Ardoyne area of Belfast over the Twelfth.

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Analysis
Tourist troubles

"We noticed an immediate effect of maybe 50 to 60 percent. As it has stabilised now there has been at least a 20 to 25 percent drop in business, which I would personally say is related to what was seen on the TV across the whole of the nation", Tour bus operator, Benn Allen, told UTV.

Mr Allen said hotels across the city have also experienced a similar drop, just as the tourism industry was recovering from the effects of the volcanic ash cloud.

"People were confident again", Mr Allen told UTV.

"Bookings were coming through so strong and then, all of the sudden, just literally overnight, they stopped. It can only be attributed to it".

During the serious disorder on 12 July, police were attacked with blast bombs and petrol bombs during several hours of violence, which was blamed on dissident republicans.

Pictures of the trouble in Ardoyne were flashed around the world.

But the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Pat Convery, says the recent riots will have a limited impact on Belfast's ability to attract tourists.

On Tuesday, Mr Convery welcomed the Queen Victoria cruise liner which sailed into Belfast with nearly 2,000 passengers.

The Queen Victoria is the 19th of 37 cruise ships visiting the city this year and by the end of the cruise season in October Belfast will have welcomed almost 63,000 passengers and crew.

"Naturally people are nervous when they hear the news, but I think we have to keep on the positive side of things. That's a blip of two or three days. This is an opportunity of 360 days of the year", Pat Convery told UTV.

"We, the people of Belfast, have to ensure that the people that are on these cruise ships get the welcome they're entitled to and that we make them happy in our city".

In 2009, Belfast recorded an unprecedented 9.3 million visitors, a 30% increase over the previous year.

Tourism generated £450m for the local economy.

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7 Comments

At 15:58 on 01 August 2010, david wrote:

Tourists are coming for the parades....its the republican pan nationalist front that is keeping them away... scum are wrecking this part of the UK and gettin away with it...its about time the PSNI copied the South African police and brought the real stuff.

At 05:09 on 30 July 2010, Marc wrote:

@ JOE- I think you mean the IMMORAL Gerry Adams!! @ GARY- The Loyalist people have rights also! We also have the right to protest about things we find offensive! There will NOT be a united Ireland! If there is then believe me, the loyalist people will make themselves heard! That will get us nowhere! Is it not better for Republicans to show a little more tolerance in order to preserve this fragile peace? The Protestant people have been more than accommodating! So much so as to the point that we are continuously being walked all over in order to appease Republican bigots!

At 01:41 on 29 July 2010, Tommy Atkins wrote:

Glad to see that tourists are getting smart and are are giving this bigoted, flat earth society a skip ,

At 17:08 on 28 July 2010, Joe wrote:

Country Clare,? it is only six counties , a wee corner of Ireland , in the words of the immortal Gerry Adams, catch yerself on!

At 12:59 on 28 July 2010, Gary wrote:

Maybe the parades commision will learn, 80 Police Officers injured, tourism drop by 50-60 percent. Yet in 2 weeks there is a parade passing through the SAME Area. They've brought the British to their knees, what's going to happen this time, are we going to drop another 50, another 60? N. Ireland are already lagging behind the rest of the U.K, Sectarian marches are getting us Republicans that step closer to a United Ireland. Peaceful protests voices aren't being heard.

At 20:34 on 27 July 2010, HOPE wrote:

blame sinn feinn ira scum not orange men or bands i live near ardoyne and noone i know caused any trouble

At 18:58 on 27 July 2010, Clare wrote:

Can't say I'm surprised. What a hell-hole this country is becoming yet again.