McLaughlin hails Derry Walls as ‘steeped in history and immortalised by Lisa McGee’ in tourism VAT speech

Transcript

00:00 The SDLP is proposing this motion today not only to advocate

00:03 the specific measures around VAT and hospitality, but also to support our tourism and hospitality

00:08 sectors more broadly. Firstly, our tourism sector is a critical driver for our economy,

00:13 and there is no doubt that it is one of the biggest success stories of the peace process.

00:18 Across this island, the tourism industry has gone from strength to strength in the last 26 years,

00:23 and our part of the island is absolutely no exception. It is an industry that is now worth

00:28 more than £1 billion each and every year for the north, and supports 330,000 jobs across this

00:34 island, from the walls of Derry, steeped in history and recently immortalised by the comedy

00:43 of Lisa McGee, to the wooded forests that captured imaginations in the Game of Thrones,

00:48 and in thousands of attractions, businesses and establishments across our counties.

00:54 Tourism is one of the major selling points of this region, and an industry we should shout

00:58 out from our rooftops every chance we get.