The undersupplied Northern Irish market is becoming a key target for major international hotel chains. An unnamed American group is looking to build six hotels in a multi-million-pound investment in Northern Ireland, according to a spokesperson for the Northern Irish Tourist Board.
Holiday Inn is believed to be bidding against two hotel chains for a site in Londonderry city centre. It is planning the construction of two hotels in Belfast and one on the Antrim coast. Forte, meanwhile, is believed to be looking at three locations, two in greater Belfast and one in Derry for budget hotels.
Figures from the NITB point to a steady increase of between 2% and 3% in the number of visitors to Northern Ireland since 1989. But with the peace dividend starting to bear results, this is expected to rise by 20% to 1.5m by the end of this year.
Tony O’Connor of O’Connor Kennedy Turtle said “With the exception of Londonderry and Belfast there is little room for four-star hotels, but there is definitely a market for budget hotels.”
