Foreign holidays look set to be parked this year - so what are our options?

Titanic Boat Tours

It’s beginning to look a lot like… staycation summer 2.0. As this week’s vaccine rollout updates emerge, it’s becoming increasingly clear that hopes of foreign holidays this year are parked, and the closest thing we’re likely to get to Europe this summer is an Ursula von der Leyen press briefing. But I’m curbing my despair. 

After last year’s knock-out summer sessions at home, I’ve plenty of unfinished business when it comes to discovering Ireland. One of the regions I’m most excited about travelling to again is the six counties — and I’m far from the only one. 

Northern Ireland is gearing up for a record season for visitors from the Republic this year, so this week, I spoke to Fiona Cunningham, ROI marketing manager for the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, on her travel takes.

“We experienced a huge influx of tourists from the South last year,” Fiona begins. “If you take the month of August alone, visitors from the Republic increased by 200% compared to the same period in 2019.” That trebling of tourism saw visitors from all over the South convoying north. 

Given the geography, the border counties, and what the NITB term “the Dublin corridor”, offered the strongest markets but it seems more visitors than ever ventured north from Munster too. “There are also destination trends,” Fiona adds. “While city breaks to Belfast and Derry are traditionally the top destinations for visitors to Northern Ireland, we saw a big surge to destinations like the Fermanagh Lakelands,” she tells me. “We’re finding that if there’s something different or unique, people are travelling there.”

Dunluce Castle is sited dramatically close to the edge of a headland, along the North Antrim coast. 

The NITB have been researching what drew so many ROI tourists north, and unsurprising, it seems the findings mirror what every global tourist is seeking now, fresh air. 

“People are really looking to enjoy outdoors life here,” Fiona explains. “Safe, immersive experiences are becoming so important, be that getting out to hike, bike or go sea-swimming in a stunning backdrop.”

In terms of accommodation, NI boasting a strong self-catering and camping game has seen a boost in families travelling from the Republic. And another key niche is driving them north too: pets. “It’s important to note how friendly Northern Ireland is as a dog-friendly destination, which explains why we saw so many people bringing their pets with them last summer.”

Like across the island, many NI hospitality businesses have been pivoting their businesses in the pandemic era market. Popular spots like the Lough Erne Resort in County Fermanagh are now offering forest walks, canoeing and stand-up paddle-boarding, aa growing fleet of hotels are now also offering self-catering accommodation options across the six counties, while immersive activities like Taste the Coast tours, are tapping into the desire for Irish provenance and fresh air by offering a range of walking food tours. 

“I think after so much shifting sands over the past months, people are really just looking forward to finally getting the opportunity to travel,” Fiona says. “And we’re so lucky in that you can still experience something completely different while still staying on the island of Ireland.”

Three Great: Northern Excursions

Fermanagh Lakelands

Jetty at Lusty Beg Island

With many staycationers hitting Ireland’s coasts in 2020, this year Fermanagh’s Lakelands could prove a popular destination, as travellers meander inland. Beyond the region’s scenic appeal, Upper and Lower Lough Erne are a haven for outdoor activities from kayaking to waterskiing while cruiser hire is also a popular way to navigate the area (just be sure to book early due to massive demand!). For a quirky base during your trip, check out Lustybeg; an island resort reachable only by car-ferry which offers four-star self-catering lodges in a setting not out of place in a Swedish summer brochure.

Stairway to Heaven

Cuilcagh Boardwalk Trail, better known as the Stairway to Heaven

For a trending outdoors experience in NI, lace up for a hike at the Cuilcagh Boardwalk Trail, better known as the Stairway to Heaven. The 10km round-trip trail winds over one of Ireland’s largest expanses of blanket bog before rising trekkers 665m aloft, at the mountain's border-straddling summit with County Cavan. The Instagram effect has seen the route become a bucket-list attraction over the last year, so to leapfrog the masses, aim to visit here for either a sunrise or sunset hikes — to really soak in those “peak” Northern Ireland vibes.

Rathlin Island.

Rathlin Island

One of the destinations I’m most buzzed about traveling to this summer is Northern Ireland’s most northern spot of all — Rathlin Island. Located 10km from Ballycastle in County Antrim and just 20km shy of the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland, views to both mainlands make for bracing sight. On the island itself, you can hit one the many walking trails and visit the unique upside down lighthouse, the Seabird Centre or even spot the resident seals. Accommodation options are limited but the island still makes for a pretty unique day trip when touring the Causeway coast.

For more on the region, pay a visit to discovernorthernireland.com