£10m hotel expansion brings jobs

Lord Rana is investing £10m in the Ramada hotel at Shaw's Bridge

More than £10m is to be spent on the expansion of the Ramada hotel in south Belfast.

The investment will create 60 jobs in the four star hotel, which currently employs 117 staff.

Improvements will include 90 new bedrooms, a new bar and restaurant and a health and fitness complex.

Lord Rana, the chief executive of Andras House which owns the Ramada, said he was confident of further growth in the hotel business.

"We are enjoying another successful summer with high levels of occupancy, despite the poor weather," he said.

"Tourism guests have been growing strongly over recent years and we are seeing visitors from many parts of the world including the US, India, parts of Europe and also from Japan.

"Political stability is certainly having a very positive impact. I believe that Northern Ireland can look forward to faster growth in tourism revenues."