Business leaders across Northern Ireland have joined George Best Belfast City Airport to hear about the growth and importance of business travel to and from Belfast.
Hosted in partnership with the GTMC (Guild of Travel Management Companies) at the Merchant Hotel, the event focused on how business travel to and from Northern Ireland acts as a catalyst for economic development, along with the opportunities this brings for those in the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) sector.
“With international companies such as Allen and Overy and Citigroup investing millions in Northern Ireland, the rate of people travelling for business, both inbound and outbound, will continue to rise”, said Ellie McGimpsey, Aviation Development Manager at Belfast City Airport.
“Belfast has been named the number one city for ‘business friendliness’ to small and medium enterprises and this is resulting in more and more people travelling into Belfast for business reasons.
“Business tourism is also booming, with Belfast being named the Best Events Destination in the 2018 Conference and Incentive Travel (C&IT) Awards.
“With such a growth in inbound travel, we felt that it was the right to update our many stakeholders in the business community about Belfast City Airport’s investment and commitment to serving this important market segment.”
Ellie continued:
“Belfast City Airport is ideally positioned for business travel in Northern Ireland, with a recent £15 million investment into its facilities and an average security time of only six minutes.
“51% of our 2.6 million passengers are travelling for business and we have a route network designed to meet their needs, along with individual products to make their trip as hassle-free as possible. For those travelling into Belfast for business meetings, conferences and events, Belfast City Airport provides an unrivalled location, just five minutes from the heart of Belfast.”
“It is important to us to work closely with local travel management companies such as Selective Travel, Beyond Business Travel, and Hannon Travel, to best meet the needs of their many frequent business travellers who choose to use Belfast City Airport for their business journeys.”
The GTMC works together with its members and industry partners to raise the profile of the vital role of business travel on the broader economy. Joining forces with Belfast City Airport will bring about increased business opportunities, especially within the corporate travel community.
Adrian Parkes, CEO at GTMC, added:
“Cross-country business deals are crucial to the ongoing expansion of Belfast as a business destination, and the rise in business travel only cements this idea.
“As the representative body for travel management companies in the UK, our members are constantly looking for chances to expand, grow, and create relationships in new markets.
“It has been wonderful to work with Belfast City Airport, which offers business travellers convenience and a hassle-free start to their journey with destinations across the major UK business hubs.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
About GTMC
The GTMC is the UK's leading professional body for travel management companies. The diverse membership accounts for over 93% of UK expenditure on managed business travel, delivering value for money and great service to business travellers in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
For more information about the GTMC please contact:
Stacey Stockwell, Carla Zambujo or Deanna Papanagiotou at Siren Comms
T: 020 7759 1150
E:
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