Growing tourist interest in 12th

By Yvette Shapiro BBC Northern Ireland business correspondent

Thousands of Orangemen have been taking part in the traditional 12 July parades, which mark the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, when the Protestant King William defeated the Catholic King James. Increasingly the parades appear to be attracting tourists to Northern Ireland.

Kai was in Belfast to visit a friend

"Do you think it's safe for me to take some pictures of the murals in Donegall Pass?"

Kai, a student from Japan, was in Belfast earlier this week to visit a friend.

I met him in the Belfast Welcome Centre where he was browsing through brochures and trying to decide if he should "risk" a brief exploration of Northern Ireland's troubled past.

"Are you staying for the Twelfth parades?" I asked him.

"No. My friend told me that it's not really for tourists and, anyway, all the shops and restaurants are shut, so I'm leaving before it starts," he replied.

Kai was both wrong and right at the same time. According to the Tourist Board, the Orange Order and a considerable of other visitors I spoke to, this year's Twelfth is a tourist attraction.

But whether you're walking, watching or avoiding the Belfast parade, it'll be hard to find either food or drink in the city. However, there are signs of change in the unseasonal July wind.

Billy McGivern is chairman of Belfast City Centre Management, the body allied to the Chamber of Trade.

Anachronism

He describes the Twelfth retail shut-down as an anachronism.

"It's my ambition to see the shops opening up, even it has to be after the parade has passed by," said Mr McGivern.

"Belfast is a major destination for visitors and a very attractive city. I would hope that the traders would get together and decide to open."

Mr McGivern said the chamber of trade would survey its members on the issue, but he believed there was considerable support for such a move.

Major retailers - not yet willing to go public on the subject - echoed this optimism.

After all, most of the shops in the city centre are owned by national or international retail chains (they're the only ones who can afford the soaring rents) and they don't like losing business at the height of the summer sales.

Publicans will most likely follow the lead of retailers on this. It's unlikely they'll be the ones to make the first move.

Belfast Welcome Centre is a good first port of call

"Business has certainly improved at this time of year," said Stephen Magorrian, managing director of Botanic Inns which operates 11 bars in the city.

"In the past, many of our pubs closed for a full week, allowing for renovations, and also for the fact that so few people were around.

"Now, we find ourselves asking not when we'll re-open, but when should we close? We only shut for the Twelfth day, then it's business as usual."

But while he acknowledges that things are changing, Mr Magorrian says publicans still aren't ready to open their doors on the Twelfth.

"That's not something I can forsee in the near future. A lot of factors would need to change to make it possible," he said.

"People either watch the parades or they leave Belfast, that's still the case, and a lot of our clients just aren't here."

"Also, the shops would need to be open and the buses would need to be running frequently to make it worth going into the city centre. I just can't see that happening any time soon."

You can, of course, find food and drink in any of the city's hotels, and it seems they're reaping the rewards of a tourist boom.

Hotels and guesthouses are reporting occupancy levels of between 50 and 100% for 12 and 13 of July.

Trendy

Tina Wells, deputy general manager at the trendy Malmaison hotel, has worked in the trade for 10 years.

She's astonished at the turn-around in fortunes in the hospitality industry at this, traditionally quiet, time of the year.

"Ten years ago, we'd have maybe five rooms booked on the Twelfth. This year, it's seven or eight times as many. That's unheard of," said Tina.

The hotel is probably the only one in Northern Ireland to feature on its walls pictures of some of the city's most notorious paramilitary murals. Thought-provoking artwork, and a talking point for guests.

"They love the pictures and they're really interested to find out more about the history of the city. We book five or six Black Taxi tours a day - people are always asking about the Troubles," added Tina.

At the Belfast Welcome Centre, the staff are coping with a constant stream of tourists. Inquiries are up 15% on July 2006 and tourism bosses reckon this will be busiest July ever for tourism in the city.

It's right that the authorities should promote this type of tourism Sven

It's clear from talking to the visitors in the centre, that they regard themselves primarily as "political tourists".

"That's why we're here, really," said Liesbeth from Belgium. "It's what attracted us to come to Belfast, to find out more about the history, the events we've seen on television."

Her partner Sven added: "It's not the only reason that people come here, but it's got to be the main reason for many.

Sven and Liesbeth are visting NI from Belgium

"There is so much to learn about how peace has been achieved here. It's right that the authorities should promote this type of tourism."

And indeed they are promoting it.

"Orange-Fest" features on the discovernorthernireland.com website, run by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, and several parades are highlighted.

A few weeks ago, officials from NITB travelled to Enniskillen to carry out Welcome Host training for the marshalls who are on duty at the town's parade. The idea was to help the Orange Order make the parade as visitor-friendly as possible.

"It's early days, but if you are going to eat an elephant, you have to do it in small bites," said Tourist Board director Sue Ward, who will be attending the Enniskillen demonstration as a guest of the Orange Order on the Twelfth.

"These are very positive moves, it's about winning the hearts and minds of participants. If we're going to attract tourists, we have to make sure that events are as inclusive as possible, that the element of confrontation is no longer there."

Ms Ward agreed that the Tourist Board and the Orange Order had a joint responsibility to ensure that parades promoted and endorsed by the agency were truly "family-friendly" events where visitors would not feel intimidated or unwelcome.

But what of Kai and his concerns about photographing murals? After some reassurance from the Welcome Centre staff, he set off to capture a tiny bit of Northern Ireland's political history.

But he told me he'd definitely be on the plane back to England before the bonfires were lit. There's still some way to go with the "Twelfth Tourism" concept.