Tourists touch down to International welcome

A new Tourist Information Centre (TIC) was opened at Belfast International Airport on Monday.

Opened as a pilot project last June by the Belfast Visitor & Convention Bureau (BVCB), the TIC has now been expanded because of an increase in air access and the subsequent demand from those looking for visitor information.

Speaking during the official opening on Monday, BVCB Chairman, Ciaran Rogan said: "It is very encouraging that the volume of international traffic into Belfast is such that there is a real need for visitor servicing in the airport.

"The increase in air access over the past two years and our aggressive marketing of Belfast as a vibrant, exciting destination for both business and leisure visitors, has contributed to the continued rise in people coming into Belfast, with one million overnight stays in Belfast in 2004."

As a pilot project, the new tourist information centre has serviced over 53,000 enquiries in its first year. Mr Rogan said the new centre aim's to top this figure by servicing 70,000 over the next year.

Albert Harrison, Managing Director of BIA added: "Services at BIA have expanded dramatically over the last 18 months. Not only do we have an excellent network of services covering the UK but also a vastly improved range of international and European scheduled services, enabling us to be an alternative gateway to Dublin.

"With up to five million passengers travelling through the airport this year the new Airport TIC certainly adds to the overall improvements we have made recently."

(MB/SP)