It is closing in to exactly 100 years since the Titanic, the so named “unsinkable” ship hit an iceberg and sank in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
The sinking of the Titanic and the death of approximately 1,500 people hit headline news as “the world’s greatest marine disaster”. As she approaches her 100th anniversary, Belfast has prepared for the huge influx of tourism to the city where the Titanic was built.
The Northern Ireland Tourist Board has pumped a huge £100m into the new Titanic exhibition which is hoped to draw tourists from all over the world into Belfast. While the new investment is expected to pay off, that doesn’t mean that that Northern Ireland Tourist Board aren’t nervous about the turnout of their investment as their chief executive, Alan Clarke, said: “This is a big one and a lot rests on it.”
The Titanic Project will consist of four ‘sub projects’ that will be centred around the city of Belfast, specifically the dock where she was built. It is this particular fact which sets Belfast apart from the other Titanic exhibitions, as Mr Clarke pointed out, “There are many Titanic exhibitions, but only in Belfast can you stand in the huge, dry dock where she was fitted out.” This uniqueness is what is set, not only to attract tourists, but also foreign investors who may want to get a slice of the action as the Titanic Project gets underway.
With talks of a “Titanic ride” for children and dinner and drinks upon the exclusive and luxurious SS Nordic, the attraction will surely get the population talking, and hopefully visiting one of the most historic sites in Northern Ireland.