A £1 million scheme to bring more business events to Northern Ireland has been launched by Stormont Economy Minister Gordon Lyons.
The Conference Support Scheme was first established in 2010 but has now been revised and relaunched to help support the recovery of the tourism industry.
Through the initiative, conference organisers will receive £50 for each out-of-state delegate who visits Northern Ireland.
Mr Lyons said: “In 2019 conferences in Northern Ireland delivered £27.5m to the local economy and brought a wide range of benefits including jobs, inward investment and knowledge exchange.
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“Northern Ireland had captured the attention of the global travel industry with awards from Lonely Planet to National Geographic, and following The Open in Portrush the global conference and events industry was poised to invest.
“This scheme will provide much-needed support for the conference and events sector as it contributes to rebuilding the tourism economy and we very much look forward to welcoming conference delegates back to our vibrant towns and cities.”
Rachael McGuickin, Visit Belfast’s director of business development, said: “As we continue to rebuild the city‘s visitor economy, the new Conference Support Scheme will help set Belfast and Northern Ireland apart from its competitors, help us secure new business for the region and support our venues, conference organisers, hotels and the wider supply chain who have been so severely impacted by Covid-19.”
Odhran Dunne, chief executive of Visit Derry, said: “The scheme will stimulate demand in the business events sector as we look forward to welcoming both national and international delegates to our historic Walled City in the years ahead.”
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