Confusing Tourism Stats

I read a report today on the BBC NI website and I'm still trying to work out what it says. Are we seeing an increase or decrease in tourists to Northern Ireland?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-20525743

According to these new statistics the number of oversees tourists has fallen in 2012 by 12% but then the report goes on to say that North American visitors are up 18% and hotel room occupancy up by 11%. The figures from places like Titanic Belfast and the Giant's Causeway appear very healthy and certainly in my own travels this summer, I saw more tourists than I ever recall before and a greater number of them were from overseas. I remarked on that in a few of my blog posts. The stats coming in from Titanic and the Causeway reflect what I encountered and I find it hard to believe visitors are down, overall, by 12%. I know I didn't feel that when I was queuing for a much desired cup of tea in the visitor's centre cottage at Carrick-A-Rede.

North Coast

I've made more than one post, referring to a previous one entitled 'North Coast' and now that I look back through I can find no trace of it. I'll blame gremlins in the system but more likely they're in my head.

So, to rectify my mistake, this is the post I thought I'd made with some older pictures taken around the North Coast.

Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge

The Giant's Gate at the Causeway

Portrush Beach 

Dunluce Castle (which I believe was used in the film Your Highness)

More North Coast

As I said in the last post, we've been out and about being tourists at home for the last week. Our first stop was the North Coast in Co. Antrim. We stopped at Larrybane Bay and crossed the Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge onto Carrick Island, followed by the impressive new visitors centre and guided audio tour round the Giant's Causeway. We finished up with a meal by the harbour in Portrush.

As someone who grew up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and has seen the changes the country is going through, I was still surprised by one huge difference I witnessed this summer; the amount of tourists from outside Northern Ireland. At Carrick we found Germans, Americans, Swedes, Italians, French. The new visitors centre at the Causeway is not only massively bigger than the old one, but a technological world away from it. When we rounded the path, into Port Ganny we saw a different view of the famous stones than we'd ever encountered before. It was covered in dots of colour as visitors in a rainbow of shower proofs picked their way across the stones to walk in Finn McCool's footsteps. Again we found a plethora of accents, not just near neighbours from Southern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales but many parts of Europe, America and Australia. 

I find that encouraging. Talking to people they are certainly much less wary of travelling to Northern Ireland and many say they wanted to visit for years but were just too put off by the bombs and bullets to do so. I do also wonder what will happen to scenery that in some way was sheltered from the march of tourism. How much more walked and worn will those basalt stones become?

A further dash of colour was added to the Causeway thanks to the art installation embedded in the landscape by German artist, Hans Peter Kuhn; a series of red and yellow flags that rotate in the wind.

The view from the headland in Larrybane Bay, looking at Carrick Island (you can't see the rope bridge from this side) and Rathlin Island in the distance. 

The cliffs in Larrybane Bay, looking back towards the visitors centre.

The view from Carrick Island after crossing the bridge.

Portnaboe (Giant's Causeway)

Can you spot Humphrey the camel?

The yellow squares are the art installation

The chimney stacks on top of the McCool House

The organ pipes

Portrush Harbour