Tourism Industry

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Thursday 20th March 2025 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Edward. I thank the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Blake Stephenson) for his passion for making the best of our potential. Other hon. Members have raved about their constituencies, and it will come as no surprise that I will do something similar. The only difference will be that at the end, I expect everybody to sign up for a trip to Strangford—they can book their flights on British Airways, Aer Lingus or however they want.

In Northern Ireland, tourism generates some 4.9% of GDP. It is important for us, contributing £750 million to the local economy each year. The industry offers a high number of entry-level positions, and we are proud that it provides training particularly for young people. It is one of the few sectors where the majority of employees are women, so there are specific opportunities for more ladies to have jobs in the sector.

External visitors were estimated to have taken some 3.3 million overnight trips to Northern Ireland in 2023. Expenditure associated with those trips was just short of £1 billion, meaning that tourism is worth almost £1 billion as an export business. In addition to that, 2.1 million domestic overnight trips were made by local residents in 2023. We also have a very strong connection with our Scottish Gaelic cousins. There have always been relationships, friendships and families between Scotland and Northern Ireland. My ancestors came from the lowlands of Scotland to Northern Ireland, so that is important to me. Those are some of the things that we can work on.

The central economic theme for Ards and North Down borough council is tourism, which creates jobs, wages and opportunities. We have not yet come close to the potential that we hold, but my local council is working on displaying to the world all that we have to offer. From Airbnbs with stunning sea views to sea-bathing facilities for those who are game enough to try wild-water bathing, from beauty salons to beautiful vistas, and from tours at the world-class Echlinville distillery to rounds of golf on our second-to-none courses, Strangford has it all to offer. From water sports to dolphin-spotting boat tours, in or out of the lough, there is so much for every age to partake of.

We also have a rich culture and history, from our historical monastic trail—St Patrick’s, obviously—to one of the top 10 gardens in the world in Mount Stewart, excellently run by the National Trust; that is a place to be visited. From world war sites to modern day marvels, it is all served with a side of the warmest hospitality and the tastiest home-cooked, farm-fresh food that one could ever hope to have. I defy anyone in this House and further afield to try to offer the mix that Strangford has naturally at its fingertips.

Here is the issue. When someone looks up city breaks or adventure weekends, they will have to scroll to find Northern Ireland. I believe that does a disservice to the entirety of the United Kingdom. We are very proud to be part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; I say that every time because it is what I believe, and what I think we need to focus on. Although I recognise the benefit of an all-Ireland approach to tourism promotion on paper, in reality we are the poor cousins. That is why I ask our four strong nations to do more to promote each of our nations individually. England is more than London, in the same way that Northern Ireland is certainly more than the Giant’s Causeway, as phenomenal as that is.

We need to promote the quick, hour-long flight between London and Belfast, and the removal of APD would help with that. The hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire referred to air passenger duty as one of the issues that constituents had brought to his attention when he talked to them over the weekend. No one who comes to Northern Ireland on a break regrets it; most people just do not know it is an option. If someone books their flight well in advance, they can get it for slightly over £100. If I try to change my flight on the night it costs almost £500. I will not be doing that, but I give that as an example of where British Airways have you—but I cannot use that terminology as it would not be appropriate.

The benefits of tourism are clear. There must be no barriers to enjoying this United Kingdom as whole. I wish the Minister well, and he has got a keen interest in this. He shows his enthusiasm for this issue, and I know that when we seek the questions we will get the answers. He will encourage us in our quest to put tourism at the top of what we are.

Colleagues of mine made their way to St Patrick’s day events in Washington in an attempt to secure a two-way traffic of holidaymakers between us and the States. The hon. Member for South Northamptonshire (Sarah Bool) referred to one President of the United States; we in Northern Ireland can claim 18 Presidents who were Ulster-Scots, with that history and those cultural links. We believe that our historical and cultural connection with the United States is special. It highlights our shared history, and the possibilities in the future. It is hoped that the success of that trip to Washington will be seen in increased visitor numbers.

The history of this nation is an attraction, but our biggest attraction is the strength of the character of our people. Nothing encourages me as much as the people I meet. The people of Northern Ireland, and the people of Wales, Scotland and England as well, are always very hospitable and chatty, always engaging socially, and always trying to help. That is the sort of nation we have, and the sort of tourism we can build on. We can offer more people more opportunity to be involved in our tourism industry. This rising tide will certainly lift all the ships around this great United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and invigorate our tourism industry once more.