Bright future for tourism on Shankill, say residents

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

A survey, commissioned by the Renewing Communities Visitor Servicing Project and conducted by an independent research company, was facilitated by the Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau (BVCB) and revealed that nine out of 10 residents feel tourism would benefit their local area.

It also showed that eight out of 10 of those questioned felt it was important for a country to promote itself to tourists with 61percent of residents believing this would encourage investment and boost the local economy.

Other tourism benefits highlighted by residents in the report included the opportunity for small businesses and employment and also the potential to showcase what the area had to offer in the hope that the perception and reputation of the Shankill would improve.

West Belfast councillor Diane Dodds said it was important to assess the opinions of the people from the Greater Shankill area.

“The most successful local tourism projects to date have been those that the communities are fully involved in,” she said.

“The report set out to gauge the opinions and attitudes of local residents with regards to the tourism experience within the Shankill area and how they feel it could be improved for the better. I am very encouraged by the findings which show that there is an appetite to promote this part of the city to visitors and I hope that these findings will help to inform the way in which the Shankill is promoted in the future.”

Jayne O'Neile, project manager for the BVCB's Renewing Communities Visitor Servicing Project, welcomed the results of the survey.

“I'm delighted that the residents are so optimistic about local tourism as it has the potential to benefit the area both socially and economically,” she said.

“In addition, the Greater Shankill Partnership have plans in place to open a local tourist information centre in the Spectrum Centre and this idea received a very positive response from the residents with 90percent of respondents feeling it would really benefit the area.”

Despite the good news, Ms O'Neile added that there are many challenges for Shankill tourism — some of which were highlighted in the report.

“Residents felt that there wasn't enough for tourists to do in the area with many people calling for further shopping and entertainment facilities,” she said.

“I feel the schemes we have in place and any future plans for the Shankill area will greatly improve tourism confidence in the area and would like to thank all those who took part in the survey.”

For further information on the tourism workshops and training provided by the Renewing Communities Visitor Servicing Project please contact Jayne O'Neile at the Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau by e-mail on jayneo@belfastvisitor.com.