About the Industry
Coach tourism is an efficient and environmentally-friendly way of bringing groups to destinations.
The private coach travel and tourism industry in Northern Ireland is diverse, both in its operating models and the services it provides. It supports every aspect of life in Northern Ireland and is a vital part of Northern Ireland’s transport, tourist and environmental management system.
The coach tourism industry plays a vital role not only in transport provision but through that local and regional development, employment and tax generation. It is an industry involved in every aspect of connectivity for our communities. In that regard, our services including but not restricted to private hire work, home to school and tours penetrate all four corners of the province and the impact on employment and regional economies is significant.
The industry makes a substantial contribution to the local economy. It invests in new fleet, pays taxes on its operations and profits and employs a significant amount of people directly and indirectly. It is a sector which has adapted and responded to the changed needs and expectations of our communities, business and visitors, continually improving standards and services. As a result, the sector has seen tremendous growth in the past twenty years, playing an ongoing and essential role in helping to meet Northern Ireland’s economic, transport and environmental needs and ambitions.
The private coach travel and tourism industry is a major contributor to our local economy and helps feed a huge domestic tourism industry increasing business and customer numbers for tourist attractions, hotels, bars, restaurants and local hidden gems etc.