KAREN McKevitt, South Down MLA and SDLP member of the Assembly Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee, has expressed her disappointment that the accommodation list for the 2013 World Police and Fire Games has not been spread out to match the events list.
She said: “Belfast is the official location for the 2013 WPFG and it is fair enough that the Belfast Welcome Centre is handling accommodation. However, we have five major events running in South Down, from canoeing in Castlewellan to mountain running on Donard and the one I have been most closely involved in, mountain biking at Rostrevor.
“Yet I can’t find a single hotel from South Down on the official accommodation list. Naturally it is Belfast-heavy, but there are single events in Portrush and Ballymena and local accommodation is listed in each case. It is fair to ask – what happened to us?
“We have been in touch with the Belfast Welcome Centre but so far we have not got any answers. Given the huge emphasis at present on the Titanic Centre, Derry City of Culture and the North Coast, these games were a unique opportunity to profile the Mournes coastal area and its accommodation around the world and we should not let this opportunity pass.”
