Tourism Northern Ireland hosted a celebration event in Derry for members of its Embrace a Giant Spirit Experience Portfolio.
The gathering at The Guildhall took place as part of Tourism and Hospitality Week 2025.
The dedicated week aims to shine a spotlight on the importance of the sector, which generates £1.1 billion for Northern Ireland’s economy, supports more than 70,000 jobs across the region, and nearly 6,000 businesses, through a series of engaging events for both industry and the public.
The week is supported by a host of partners, including Tourism NI, Hospitality Ulster, the Northern Ireland Hotel Federation (NIHF) and the Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance (NITA), Tourism Ireland, the Further & Higher Education Network and Ulster University, as well as tourism and hospitality businesses across Northern Ireland.
This week, Tourism NI brought more than 40 tourism businesses which are part of its `Embrace A Giant Spirit’ portfolio together at The Guildhall in Derry for a celebration event.
Launched in spring 2023, the Portfolio is an ongoing developmental programme for tourism experience businesses which aims to increase their commercial skills, increase revenue and enhance their experiences within the context of the Northern Ireland tourism brand.
More than 100 businesses currently participate in the portfolio.
The event at the Guildhall aimed to celebrate the success and growth of the Portfolio, whilst also encouraging networking and collaboration.
It also helped the businesses explore the opportunities ahead and continue to build our collective community of tourism experience businesses working to share the Giant Spirit of Northern Ireland.
The businesses were welcomed to the gathering by Maria McAlister, Interim Experience Brand Development Manager at Tourism NI and Eimear Callaghan, Head of Experience and Industry Development at Tourism NI.
Speaker Paul Marden, Co-CEO of Rubber Cheese, a digital and web expert in visitor experiences and attractions, then spoke to those gathered, sharing valuable insights and inspiration on how the Northern Ireland tourism offering can be elevated by the industry working in collaboration.
Attendees then heard from a number of industry speakers, David Gilliland from Brooke Hall Estate & Gardens, Emily McCorkell, from Lo & Slo, and Michael Beare from Finn Lough, who all shared their own personal business development experiences.
Following a networking lunch, the businesses had the opportunity to take part in guided tours of Derry, led by Derrie Danders.
Maria McAlister, Interim Experience Brand Development Manager at Tourism NI, said: “We were delighted to celebrate with key members of our tourism experience industry as part of Tourism and Hospitality Week.
“Authentic and immersive experiences are vital for enhancing the appeal of our destination and the Embrace a Giant Spirit Experience Portfolio, which currently supports more than 100 tourism experience operators, is a fantastic opportunity to support the growth, productivity and innovation of these important businesses.
“We look forward to continuing to invest and develop the Experience Portfolio to build a thriving experience sector which confidently and successfully awakens the Giant Spirit in our visitors”.