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Ramsey: Derry’s tourism budget must not be slashed

SDLP Foyle MLA Pat Ramsey has said traders in Derry will suffer if the Northern Ireland Tourist Board’s (NITB) events budget is cut.

Mr Ramsey said: “Northern Ireland Tourist Board has said that their budget for festivals, activities and events is under threat of being slashed due to the cuts in public spending.

“This will have a hugely negative impact on businesses in Derry, for many of which tourism is their lifeblood.

“Special events which are often a tourist magnet, such as the internationally renowned Foyle Cup, may not be able to go ahead due to reduced funding.

“The absence of these showcase events would be a travesty both for our community and our local economy and in this era of cutbacks, the Executive must see the wider picture and invest in areas that will give them maximum return with interest, and that means making tourism a key priority on their agenda.

“Everything needs to be done to draw people to Derry in order to boost our visitor numbers, particularly in the lead up to the UK City of Culture 2013.

“I will be writing to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment to express these concerns and will underline the need for those who control the purse strings to protect our tourism budget.”

Issue Spokesperson

Pat Ramsey (MLA, Assembly)

Email p.ramsey@sdlp.ie Tel 028 7136 1444
View Pat's Profile

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