2022-2032 Vistitor Experience Development Plan

2017 2018 2019 2019 % of NI Trips 342,847 403,904 427,568 8% Nights 947,698 1,064,561 1,250,261 8% Spend £56.7m £72.9m £79.4m 8% Average length of stay 2.8 2.6 2.9 Average spend per trip £165 £180 £186 Average spend per night £60 £68 £63 3.0 Market Assessment 3.1 The Tourism Landscape 2019 was a year of records for tourism and hospitality in Northern Ireland. Welcoming an estimated 5.3 million overnight visitors (including trips by visitors from outside Northern Ireland and domestic trips taken by local residents); benefiting frommore than £1 billion in visitor spend. This was delivered through 5.3m trips and 16.6m bednights. 2019 was the culmination of a decade of investment by Government and industry, which led to a 60% increase in visitor numbers and an 89% increase in visitor spend between 2009 and 2019. By the end of 2019, the wider tourism and hospitality industry employed approximately 70,000 people across every part of Northern Ireland. The last Visitor Attitude Survey was conducted in 2018 and highlighted that Fermanagh & Omagh is a popular overnight and day trip destination for both out of state (OOS) and domestic leisure visitors. The area attracted a higher than average proportion of Northern Ireland (NI) overnighters, and welcomed the highest proportion of Republic of Ireland (ROI) visitors of all the areas. The attractions and scenery were key motivations for visiting Fermanagh & Omagh, with participation in water sports and outdoor activities higher relative to many other areas in NI. We know that tourism has been increasing in the area and there is a demonstrable opportunity for continued growth. In 2019 there were 1.2m visits to visitor attractions in the area and tourism represented 9% of total employee jobs. Fermanagh Lakelands & Omagh and The Sperrins 22 Fermanagh and Omagh Destination Tourism NI Visitor Survey Data