US travel media spread the word about Belfast Pride
Leading travel journalists and popular content creators from the United States are visiting Belfast and Northern Ireland this week, as guests of Tourism Ireland and Tourism NI.
The journalists and content creators – whose publications and online platforms have a predominantly LGBTQIA+ audience of millions of people – are here to experience Belfast Pride and to learn about some of the many great things their readers and followers can see and do here.
Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, said:“We were delighted to invite this group of US travel journalists and content creators to visit, to experience this year’s Belfast Pride and see for themselves what we have to offer LGBTQIA+ holidaymakers. We are confident that the articles and content they create and share will inspire their readers and followers to visit in 2025 and beyond.”
The group’s busy itinerary includes Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, a panoramic tour of Belfast, Belfast City Hall, Titanic Belfast, St George’s Market and The Maverick for a drag show. The group will visit The MAC Belfast to meet with local artist Thomas Wells to view A Queer Dander – Wells’ exhibition which explores the history of pride in Belfast. Tomorrow (26 July), the group will take part in the Belfast Pride Parade and soak up the atmosphere around the city. They also spent time in Dublin, where they did a Queer Dublin walking tour with Original Dublin and met with Ireland’s most famous drag queen and gay rights activist Panti Bliss.
Notes to Editors:
- Tourism Ireland is the organisation responsible for promoting Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination.
- NISRA figures for 2024 confirm that overseas tourism to Northern Ireland contributed £633 million to the economy, driven by 2 million overseas tourists, with overseas as 58% of total tourism revenue.
- Tourism Ireland’s international website is www.ireland.com, with 21 market sites available in 18 different countries, as well as one international site, in seven language versions around the world.
- Tourism Ireland is an agency of the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland and the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment in Ireland.