The issue of the lack of tourist beds in South Down was raised by Sinn Féin MLA Chris Hazzard at a recent meeting in Downpatrick at the St Patrick Centre with Stephen Bill, Regional Manager for Tourism NI, and Mark Mohan, Tourism Initiatives Manager with Newry Mourne and Down District Council.
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Chris Hazzard MLA with Stephen Bill, (right) Regional Manager Tourism NI and Mark Mohan, (left) Tourism Initiatives Manager with Newry Mourne and Down District Council.[/caption]
Mr Hazzard said: “It is estimated that 85% of visitors to South Down are day trippers and if we are to enhance the tourist product we must encourage more to stay longer.
“One of the major obstacles we are facing is the lack of beds for tourists in the region.
“There are many reasons to stay in South Down including the Mournes, St Patrick’s Centre, beaches and local history yet there aren’t nearly enough beds.
“Around 700 coaches per year visit the St. Patrick’s Centre in Downpatrick yet the vast majority are day trippers. A few hundred people can eat out in Dundrum in an evening during peak season, yet there are only four beds in the village.
“Even during the successful Irish Open, visitors found the lack of availability of accommodation in the area frustrating and could make similar future events difficult to attract.
“I also look forward to the Tourism NI consultation paper, which is soon to be circulated, proposing a strategy in line with the specific needs of South Down and accommodation needs to be central to this strategy.”
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