Northern Ireland-based Titanic Belfasts Visitor Number Touches 500,000

06 Oct 2012

Titanic Belfast in Northern Ireland recently touched the 500,000-visitor mark, just six months after it was opened on March 31, 2012, exceeding the annual forecast for visitor numbers, which was set at 425,000. The 500,000th visitor was Canadian citizen Lynda Price, who was born in east-Belfast and is the great granddaughter of a shipyard worker.

The six-storey Titanic Belfast features nine interpretive and interactive galleries that explore the sights, sounds, smells and stories of Titanic, as well as the city, and the people who constructed the ship. Supported by the Northern Ireland Executive, Titanic Belfast is a public-private partnership, funded by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Belfast City Council, Belfast Harbour and Titanic Quarter Ltd. It is operated by Titanic Belfast Ltd and owned by the Titanic Foundation Ltd.

Of the visitors of Titanic Belfast in the past six months, 65 per cent were non-Northern Ireland residents, with some coming from the Republic of Ireland, the Republic of Korea, USA and the United Arab Emirates. Titanic Belfast has welcomed tourists from 111 countries, from Argentina, Nepal, Qatar and Belize, amongst others, generating significant tourism revenue for not only Belfast, but also for Northern Ireland as a whole. More than 30,000 guests have been served in Titanic Belfast’s conference and banqueting suites, including The Queen of England, The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, and James Cameron, director of the movie ‘Titanic’.

Howard Hastings, Chairman, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, said, “2012 has been a momentous year for tourism in Northern Ireland, with Titanic Belfast at the heart of its success. This iconic exhibition is now reaping the benefits of worldwide media attention and I am delighted that it has exceeded visitor expectations so far.” 

Source: TBM