“I accept that this is a much more extensive proposition, but it is a much more permanent proposition that, in international terms, will be seen as a must-go destination.” The rather more makeshift one proposed for the side of the Odyssey paled in comparison to what is happening. “I do not think that anyone will be disappointed by the Titanic signature project. From that point of view, we have a massive commodity for the tourist industry. “Interestingly, some of the market research showed that the Titanic is better known than Ireland by people in middle Asia and south Asia. It will be a very significant attraction in Northern Ireland,” the DUP leader told MLAs. It is a fantastic concept and the building is great. “I believe that people will be blown away by the new Titanic signature project when it opens. He said it would have cost £40m compared to the Titanic building’s £60m, and “yielded more in terms of long-term cash benefits”.īut Mr Robinson said he had not been inspired by the wrap-around proposal, and the projected visitor figure targets in the Executive’s Programme for Government are a “significant increase” on previous years. Ulster Unionist Mike Nesbitt pointed out that Comptroller and Auditor General Kieran Donnelly had concluded an alternative proposal from the Odyssey Trust - for a wrap-around building at W5 - would have been “a lot easier on the public purse”. Stormont’s top two ministers were challenged on the project when they attended the Assembly scrutiny committee which monitors their department. The biggest single tourism project launched in Northern Ireland, the building will require an estimated 290,000 visitors a year to break even.Īnd so far 35,000 tickets have been sold in advance of its opening in April to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the historic ship’s sinking. He and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness sprung to the defence of the project after a recent Audit Office report cast doubt over its long-term prospects.
The multi-million pound Titanic Signature Building in Belfast will become an international attraction, First Minister Peter Robinson says.
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