The domestic market is a critical part of Northern Ireland’s tourism economy. In 2018 the domestic tourism accounted for 44 percent of all overnight trips taken in Northern Ireland and 31 percent of spend. In real terms this equates to approximately 2.2 million overnight trips and an estimated expenditure of £300 million by Northern Ireland residents.

As a result, the domestic market generates an important contribution to total tourism revenue. Furthermore, the domestic market has a significant positive impact to the regional and seasonal distribution of tourism.

Whilst attracting international visitors from an expanding portfolio of markets and growing the Republic of Ireland market will be a key focus for future growth, the importance of developing and sustaining the domestic market alongside these activities cannot be underestimated.

In recent years the Northern Ireland tourism sector has invested in the development of clear and actionable strategies designed to drive growth from international markets and the Republic of Ireland. Underpinning these strategies is a rich and textured understanding of the consumer landscape, and the specific segments that Northern Ireland is seeking to target and win.

Set against this backdrop, it was important and logical to also determine a clear strategy designed to develop and grow the opportunities present in the domestic market.

In early 2019 a dedicated Steering Group was established to oversee a review of the domestic market and the development of a strategy for growth into the future. In order to complete this work an extensive programme of work was undertaken. This encompassed the following:

• A detailed review and analysis of existing market intelligence
• Consultation with key stakeholders from industry, local councils and Tourism Northern Ireland
• A large scale quantitative and qualitative research study within the domestic market
• The development of a new segmentation strategy and collaboration with the Domestic Market Steering Group, Tourism Northern Ireland and the Tourism Northern Ireland Board on the development of future strategy

This reporting document details the key outputs of the review, alongside the future strategy for the domestic market in Northern Ireland. Specifically, it outlines a situational analysis of the current state of the domestic market, sets out the scale of ambition for the future, details the new segmentation solution, and outlines the strategy and key actions required to support the future development and growth opportunities.

1. Introduction
2. Situational Analysis
3. Domestic Market Growth Strategy
4. Measuring Performance
5. Conclusion