NORTHERN Ireland is finally doing "proper" tourism, with visitors from outside the region - whether from the Republic, Britain or overseas - eclipsing the bed nights and spend of those just visiting family and friends or holidaying at home.
Of the five million visitors who stayed for 16 million nights in 2018, more than half (2.8m) came from out of state, including a record breaking 591,000 from the Republic .
And of the overall spend of £968 million, the expenditure associated with non-domestic tourist trips was £669 million.
That was a whopping rise of 28 per cent over the last five years, and comes on the back of better air access, improved infrastructure, a doubling of cruise ship dockings from 62 to 128, the appeal of golf ahead of the upcoming Open - and the continued legacy of Game of Thrones.
Latest government data showed that tourism put an average £2.7m a day into the north's coffers last year, up from £2.5m in 2017, and which is helping to sustain more than 65,000 jobs.
Overall spend remains just shy of £1 billion, and rose by £42 million last year, largely attributable to the closer-to-home markets, with the strong exchange rate encouraging residents from the Republic to spend more.
Virtually every overseas territory sent more visitors to Northern Ireland, with significant increases in holiday visitors recorded from north America (up 22 per cent), mainland Europe (up five per cent) and Australia and developing markets (up 14 per cent).
Tourism NI chief executive John McGrillen said: “Our closer to home markets are driving growth in visitor expenditure. The partnership marketing approach with visitor attractions and accommodation providers that we have taken in the Republic market has contributed to those visitors spending significantly more.
“We are also attracting increasing numbers of visitors from Great Britain and overseas, creating more opportunities for our local industry to grow and invest in the tourism sector.
“As we plan ahead for the next decade, our ambition is to double the value of tourism to £2 billion a year by 2030, which will require a laser-like focus on key markets and segments. It will also require further investment in new attractions and experiences and in developing the skills the industry needs.”
Tourism Ireland chief executive Niall Gibbons said: “I'm pleased to see overall growth of 12 per cent in holidaymakers from overseas, and this year we aim to build on the success of 2018, growing overseas tourism revenue by 8 per cent and visitor numbers by 4 per cent.”
He added: “We are determined to ensure tourism growth from overseas continues and are rolling out an extensive programme of promotions to highlight Northern Ireland around the world.
“We are pulling out all the stops to leverage the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities of the final series of Game of Thrones and the 148th Open at Royal Portrush, and we continue to showcase iconic experiences like Titanic Belfast, the Giant’s Causeway and our unique National Trust properties.
“Our aim is to position Northern Ireland as a year-round ‘must visit’ destination and to ensure the contribution of overseas tourism to the local economy continues to expand.”
But Mr Gibbons' remarks followed criticism of his organisation the day before when Belfast International Airport director Uel Hoey told a Westminster scrutiny committee that "a sales pitch is not being made for Belfast" in north America by Tourism Ireland, a claim the cross-border body has vehemently denied.
