The case for a visit to Northern Ireland

Arlene Foster, Northern Ireland's minister for tourism and enterprise, was in the Emirates at the end of last month. Here she talks about her government's investment in tourism and why 2013 is shaping up as a great year for Northern Ireland.

What are some recent highlights of your government's investment in the tourism sector?

There was a £97 million (Dh531m) investment in Titanic Belfast [a museum dedicated to the doomed ship] and the government put up half of that in a public-private initiative. There was also a £9m investment in the Giant's Causeway visitor centre. That opened in July of last year and it's already getting a lot of tourists. [The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns in County Antrim. Although they are the result of an ancient volcanic eruption, legend says they were created by two giants during a battle.]

What have you done on your visit here?

It's always the case when I visit Middle East countries that I do a dual role for enterprise and tourism. I met with the UAE trade minister and visited Gulfood [and later met] some of the Northern Irish diaspora.

Why would Northern Ireland be attractive to tourists from the Middle East?

Well, it's not really about the sunshine - you get all that here. But it's about the memorable experience that Northern Ireland offers tourists.

Do you have any special relations with any of the major airlines here such as Etihad or Emirates?

We do work with Emirates Holidays. Etihad and Emirates fly into Dublin and then it's an hour, an hour and a half, into Northern Ireland.

Londonderry is this year's UK city of culture. What sort of events will the city hold?

Londonderry is the first UK city of culture so we are definitely setting the benchmark. We will be showing the different cultures of Northern Ireland and the UK. We have the Turner Prize for the first time out of London and we have the Royal Ballet. And then we have some of our local culture - it's a fusion.

Northern Ireland has been in the news recently because of violence and bomb scares. Are you concerned that might put tourists off?

Well, it's obviously something we could have done without. But Northern Ireland's history means that any unrest - however isolated or small - will receive a lot of attention. What doesn't get reported - and I am very proud of this - is that Northern Ireland has the lowest crime rate in Europe. The G8 is coming to Northern Ireland this year - to my own County Fermanagh - and I think that shows the commitment of the UK government to Northern Ireland.

lgutcher@thenational.ae