Dickson Disappointed by Disinterest in the Travel Industry from Minister for the Economy

East Antrim Alliance MLA, Stewart Dickson, has expressed his disappointment at what he perceives to be a lack of interest from the Minister for the Economy in the travel sector.

Mr Dickson explained: “I wrote to the Minister for the Economy asking for his assessment of the importance of travel agencies in growing and maintaining an air route network to Northern Ireland. He responded by telling me that there is no statistical data to determine their contribution.

“I found that response extremely underwhelming, especially as the Minister holds ultimate responsibility for maintaining and enhancing Northern Ireland’s air connectivity both domestically and internationally. It begs the question, how can we begin to appreciate and support the travel sector when we have absolutely no idea of the extent and importance of that sector for our local economy.

“I, and many members of the travel industry, have long felt that the Minister is disinterested in the sector, and perhaps this is because we have an incomplete picture of what this sector does Northern Ireland”.