Agenda item

            The Monitoring, Learning and Reporting Officer reminded the Members that, at its meeting on 5th December, 2024, the Committee had noted that Belfast was ranked 9th place in the 2024 Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index), the highest-ranking destination in the UK and Ireland, and agreed to invite Visit Belfast to attend a future meeting of the Committee to provide an overview of the measures and initiatives which had been undertaken to achieve the high ranking.

            Accordingly, Mr G. Lennon, Chief Executive, Visit Belfast, and Ms. J. Callen, Sustainability and Impact Manger, Visit Belfast, were welcomed to the meeting.     

            Mr. Lennon provided the Committee with background information on Visit Belfast and highlighted its core purpose, namely, ‘’to create and service visitors for Belfast and Northern Ireland in order to generate economic benefit and inclusive growth, creating jobs and prosperity for the city region, enabling Belfast to become a more sustainable place to visit, meet and live in.’’

            He explained that, following the Council’s declaration of a climate emergency in 2019, the launch of its Belfast Resilience Strategy Climate Plan in 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic, Visit Belfast had committed to the development of a sustainable tourism plan. He highlighted the launch of Visit Belfast’s first Sustainability Policy and its commitment to embedding sustainability across the organisation.

            Ms. Callen highlighted that, as Belfast’s Destination Management Organisation (DMO), Visit Belfast first participated in the GDS-Index in 2020, with Belfast ranking at 47th on the GDS-Index. She reported that, through improvements at pace, Belfast had made significant progress to achieve its current rank of 9th out of 100 global destinations.

            She provided the Committee with a detailed overview of the actions Visit Belfast had taken in respect of sustainability, including:

·        Organisation - launch of its three-year tourism strategy and business plan, Sustainability Policy, appointment of a dedicated Sustainability and Impact team, implementation of sustainability Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and an Annual Impact Report, and adopting a triple bottom line approach;

·        Industry – collaboration with partners in the tourism industry that included cooperation with the Council to roll out an initiative to help tourism businesses gain independent sustainability accreditation;

·        City – annual GDS assessment, working with the Council on the delivery of the Department for Communities Access and Inclusion Programme and the upcoming Inclusive Tourism Programme, focus on neighbourhood tourism, tourism carbon footprint measurement, and engagement with residents; and

·        Visitors and Clients – green accommodation and active travel, cruise sustainability plan, cruise community fund, events sustainability framework, carbon measurement of business events, sustainable experiences and itineraries for tour operators and the launch of Visit Belfast’s Impact and Legacy guide.

            She highlighted the following initiatives:

·        Change the Menu. For Good – a project in collaboration with industry partners to raise funds and supplies for those experiencing food poverty in Belfast;

·        Belfast Reusable Cup – a 12-month pilot aimed at eliminating 2 million single use plastic cups in entertainment venues in Belfast; and

·        Educational Outreach – an initiative in collaboration with the Education Authority to help students benefit from incoming conferences to Belfast.

            In response to a Member’s question regarding carbon offsetting initiatives, Ms. Callen informed the Committee that Visit Belfast, through its Impact and Legacy Guide, provided clients and tourists with offsetting options. She highlighted Visit Belfast’s recent work with the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI) to calculate the carbon footprint of the ASGBI conference in Belfast.

            Ms. Callen answered a range of questions from Members, including Visit Belfast’s engagement with Belfast Harbour in relation to the reduction of cruise ship emissions, sustainability certified hotel bedrooms, energy reduction targets, the Reusable Cup pilot, and tour buses emissions.

            The Chairperson thanked Mr. Lennon and Ms. Callen for their attendance and the work that had been undertaken in respect of sustainable tourism.

            The Committee noted the contents of the presentation.