By Julie Waters
‘GIVE us a fair deal’ was the plea issued by concerned local councillors who fear Ards and North Down is often overlooked by tourism bosses in favour of the North Coast and Belfast.
Councillors are now seeking a meeting with newly-appointed Tourism NI chief executive Laura McCorry to showcase the borough’s ‘full tourism potential’ in a bid to win their fair share of the marketing pie.
Concerns were raised that the borough’s beauty and rich heritage are not given the same opportunity to shine as the ‘big rocks’ of the Giant’s Causeway.
Local councillors’ misgivings came to light during a recent Place and Prosperity committee meeting which was asked to respond to Tourism NI’s corporate plan for 2025 to 2028.
The council had been asked to complete a questionnaire and the borough’s first citizen, Mayor Gillian McCollum led the criticism ‘at the limited opportunity for detail’ afforded by the consultation.
The Mayor expressed ‘disappointment’ that the local authority had not been able to highlight the borough’s many benefits, in particular its food tourism offerings.
Ards peninsula alderman Robert Adair called for the borough to be given a ‘fair deal’ from Tourism NI saying: “Their focus is on the North Coast and Belfast and nowhere else. What about the East Coast and Ards and North Down? There should be more focus on the borough.”
He welcomed the support given by Tourism NI for the popular Portavogie Tide and Turf Festival but said more was needed.
“The borough is a premier borough for events, we have a successful programme of events over the year,” he said. “However I feel we are not getting the support we need from Tourism NI. For too long the focus has been on the North Coast and Belfast, we need to get a fair deal for Ards and North Down.”
Alderman Naomi Armstrong-Cotter praised the efforts of the council’s tourism team in completing the questionnaire ‘given the zero opportunity to show the value’ of the borough.
The Newtownards councillor asked was there any scope for the local authority to ‘meaningfully sew’ into the consultation, to have ‘our voices heard’ as Tourism NI sets out its goals. She said the borough had a lot to offer and they wanted to be part of the engagement rather than just saying ‘present miss’.
Mrs Armstong-Cotter said that while Ards and North Down may not have the ‘big rocks’ of the Giant’s Causeway, she said the history within the rocks of Ards and North Down was ‘worth the trip’ and highlighted the rich heritage of areas such as Greyabbey, Scrabo and Bangor Abbey.
The alderman issued an appeal to tourism bosses saying: “Please let us be involved because we have a lot to offer.”
Ards peninsula councillor Nigel Edmund also raised concerns about the consultation saying: “I wouldn’t call it a consultation if you don’t have any scope to respond.”
He listed some of the borough’s highlights from Mount Stewart to Exploris, the Ballycopeland Windmill and Donaghadee and appealed to Tourism NI to ‘help us promote it internationally’. Councillors agreed to approve the response to the Tourism NI corporate plan and will write to the Tourism NI chief executive to congratulate her on the appointment to invite her to make an early visit to the borough.
