An independent survey has found that many visitors to Titanic Belfast cited the visitor attraction as the ‘main or very important’ reason why they came to Belfast and Northern Ireland.

The survey, conducted during periods of the traditional low and high tourist seasons, was led by MillwardBrown and commissioned by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

More than 1,200 visitors were questioned for the survey between February and August 2013 from all over the world -North America (18%), Europe (8%), Great Britain (25%), Republic of Ireland (20%), Northern Ireland (22%) and Rest of World (7%).

An impressive 94% of visitors surveyed who hailed from the Republic of Ireland and over ¾ of visitors from GB and overseas had included Titanic Belfast in their planning before leaving home.  The survey found that Titanic Belfast is a significant influence in encouraging visitors to stay overnight in Belfast and Northern Ireland.

Almost 70% of visitors from GB, overseas and ROI said Titanic Belfast, which opened in March 2012, was the highlight or an important part of their trip.

The visitor attraction’s CEO, Tim Husbands MBE, said: “We are naturally very impressed with the feedback from visitors in this survey. When we opened in 2012 we told the world that Belfast was a tourist destination and was open for everything from entertainment to business.

“We were confident two years ago that we had launched a unique world-class visitor attraction and two years on we are thriving on the benchmark that was set for Titanic Belfast and the city.”

Alan Clarke, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Chief Executive, said: “As one of Northern Ireland’s Signature Projects and as a multi-award winning visitor attraction, I have no doubt that the positive findings of this survey reflect not only Titanic Belfast’s compelling unique maritime heritage offering but also its visitor driven culture and consistent standards of excellence.

The survey found that 99% said Titanic Belfast told the Titanic story in a ‘creative and engaging way’ while 98% said the ‘design and architecture added to the overall experience’.

94% of visitors agreed Belfast was a more attractive place since Titanic Belfast opened in March 2012 while 89% said it was a ‘world class visitor experience’.

Feedback from those surveyed confirmed that the visitor attraction is exceeding expectations for the majority of visitors and 98% would recommend a visit to Titanic Belfast to friends and family.

This morning 20 billboards and a number of Adshels in and around Belfast featured this year’s Sloane 350 Chocolate and Fine Food Festival which takes place under marquee on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September at Killyleagh Castle. This is the third biennial chocolate and fine food festival and it gets bigger and better every time and as a result Sir Hans Sloane aka local historian Clive Scoular decided to visit Belfast’s iconic tourist sites to spread the word. He visited Belfast City Hall which is also a European Heritage Open Day venue, Belfast Visitor’s Centre, the wonderful Linen Hall Library, Titanic Centre, Ulster Museum etc and QUB where he was greeted by Killyleagh Festival Chairman Prof Bob Elwood.

Why host a Chocolate and Fine Food Festival and why in Killyleagh? Sir Hans Sloane is the reason he was born in Killyleagh in 1660 and educated here until 1679 when he left to go to London to train as a physician. He travelled extensively in France and graduated at L’Orange before returning to London to begin his career. He became physician to the Duke of Albemarle and travelled with him to Jamaica where he discovered the medicinal benefits of drinking chocolate.  He returned to England in 1689 and later improved the taste of the drinking chocolate by adding milk and sugar. It was this recipe that was later purchased and developed by Cadbury. Just for good measure his wonderful collections of curiosities and antiquities formed the nucleus of the British Museum, the British Library and the Natural History Museum. He was simultaneously President of  the Royal Society and President of the Royal College of Physicians. Throughout his long and illustrious life he benevolently practiced medicine. Although he was physician to Queen Anne, George I and George II he still found time to administer medicine free of charge to the poor and worked tirelessly and without a salary at the newly established Foundling Hospital in London.

The Sloane 350 Group was established in 2010 to ‘Enlighten the populace of Northern Ireland of this great Northern Irishman’s Life and Legacy’ and we are delighted to be supported annually by The Earl Cadogan a direct descendent of Sir Hans Sloane in this endeavour.

Our main sponsor since 2010 has been Finnebrogue Venison the Lynn family’s support has enabled us to promote our heritage and our excellent local produce via our Chocolate and Fine Food Festival. Our location is second to none Killyleagh Castle is the jewel in the Crown of Strangford Lough an AONB and the Rowan-Hamilton family  have been unfailing generous in their support of our festival.  NITB, Down District Council, The Good Little Food Company, Mash Direct,  S D Bells, Callow Events, 3fivetwo Healthcare, Rickety Bridge Wines, Killyleagh Development Association, Simplicity Group, EE, Taste of Ulster and Good Food NI have all rallied to support us and without them our event would not be possible.

This year our charity is The Cancer Fund for Children and all proceeds from our festival will be donated to them.

Adult admission is £5 with accompanied children under 16 years free Come and join us for some some serious fun.

Further info @  www.hanssloane.com FB and Twitter.

Come and transcend the barriers of time and prepare for some serious fun in the Bawn of the oldest inhabited castle in Ireland.

For further information please contact:-

Prof Bob Elwood, QUB Chairman Sloane 350

e-mail:- R.Elwood@Queens-Belfast.AC.UK  tel. 028 90272283

Meave Davison,  Sloane 350 Festival Organiser

e-mail:- meave62@hotmail.co.uk tel. 07873901613

Ann Fee, Sloane 350 Press Officer

e-mail:- ann_fee@hotmail.com  tel. Mob  07835891245

Cancer Fund for Children is celebrating that its brand new short break facility Daisy Lodge has become a member of Taste of Ulster.

The facility in Newcastle, Co. Down, which provides free short breaks to up to 500 local families a year affected by cancer, has also just launched its brand new menu with the help of top chef Joery Castel , and Taste of Ulster and Vital Nutrition’s Jane McClenaghan.

Taste of Ulster places an emphasis on fresh, healthy, nutritious food which is locally-sourced.   To become a Taste of Ulster member, Daisy Lodge had to meet certain requirements relating to excellence in customer service and overall dining experience. Staff had to also prove their knowledge of local seasonal food and suppliers and ensure local food is on all menus. They also had to display nutritional knowledge about the food being served and explain how Daisy Lodge is a sustainable organisation focussed on reducing its carbon footprint.

Daisy Lodge Hospitality Manager Joan Burden met with Joery and Jane to develop the menu. The combination of Jane’s expert nutritional advice and Joery’s practical knowledge has resulted in a delicious and nutritious selection of meals.

The meals all use fresh locally-sourced ingredients from Northern Ireland producers such as Jilly Dougan who planted an herb garden at Daisy Lodge.

Joan explained why healthy meals are so important for families dealing with the effects of cancer.

“Many of the families have spent months in isolation or on the ward and have been living on hospital food. When they are at home they probably don’t have the time or energy to prepare cooked meals. When families arrive at Daisy Lodge all they have to do is relax and enjoy these delicious and nutritious meals…restoring them for whatever lies ahead.”

Belfast mother, Emma McCrea whose little son Charlie has battled cancer, praised the food at Daisy Lodge: “The food was amazing. It will be especially appreciated by families who have been living on tea and toast or hospital food. It was great not having to clean and cook. ”

The menu boasts such delights as steamed Glenarm organic salmon and homemade meatballs from Slaney Valley Lamb. Other mouth-watering highlights include spicy Thai curry and potato and herb gnocchi bake. The menu will be refreshed every six to eight weeks and Joery will visit Daisy Lodge regularly to provide training for staff.

Sharon Machala, Taste of Ulster Coordinator added,

“We are delighted to have been able to help Joan and the team, in achieving their goal of providing nutritious locally sourced food to the families staying at Daisy Lodge.”

Joan concluded: “We have already received amazing feedback from families about the quality of the meals here at Daisy Lodge. I am so glad Taste of Ulster, Joery and Jane are on-board, they have enthused and energised the team.”