Room occupancy across Northern Ireland saw a 2% increase to 63%, with Belfast recording the highest room occupancy figure at 72%. Mid and East Antrim demonstrated the strongest increase of 9%, up to 68% occupancy.
Across the wider accommodation sector there was a 5% increase in rooms sold in Northern Ireland hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs and guest accommodation between January and March 2018 compared to the same period in 2017, with more than 500,000 rooms sold in total.
Tourism NI Chief Executive, John McGrillen, said;
“2018 is off to a very positive start for the Northern Ireland hotel sector. These figures demonstrate the upward trend and level of investment by the hotel and wider accommodation industry to host our continued record visitor numbers.
“£500 million will be invested in the accommodation sector by 2020, with more than 2,000 new rooms coming on stream by the end of the decade. With the continued growth and investment by our accommodation sector, visitor attractions and activity providers, we have a positive outlook for the rest of the year.
“Tourism NI continues to work hard to develop and sell Northern Ireland as a great place to visit and stay. These latest figures are a welcome boost and will encourage us in our efforts to develop a sustainable and internationally competitive industry over the next decade” John added
Andras House Group's planned new hotel in Portrush
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