Minister congraultates AA Campsite of the Year

This is the first time in the history of the award that a caravan park based in Northern Ireland has received the accolade.

Ballyness Caravan Park has been classified 5* status by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB). It currently has 48 fully serviced pitches for both touring caravans and motor homes and 65 pitches for caravan holiday homes.

Congratulating the owners, David and Olive Dunlop, during a visit to the caravan park, Arlene Foster said: "Ballyness is a first-class caravan park with outstanding facilities and wonderful views across the county Antrim countryside. The AA Campsite of the Year award recognises the excellent services provided by Ballyness and demonstrates the quality of Northern Ireland's tourism offering to a wide audience across the UK.

"Many people are rediscovering the delights of domestic breaks and caravanning is proving to be an extremely popular option. Recent figures released by the NITB show that during 2009, the total number of trips taken by Northern Ireland residents at home grew by over one third (+34%) compared to the previous year.

"During 2009, Ballyness Caravan Park had 84% total occupancy and provided over 26,000 bed nights. Early indications for 2010 show that the majority of local campsites are experiencing an increase in the volume of bednights. This has been boosted by a strong Republic of Ireland market, with 45% of site owners reporting an increase in demand compared to the same period last year.

"This highlights the important contribution that campsites make, not only to the tourism industry but also the rural economy through job creation and increasing visitor spend in the area."

The Minister concluded: "David and Olive are to be commended for their ambition and determination and in bringing this award to Northern Ireland for the first time."

In addition to their recent achievement, Ballyness Caravan Park has won a number of awards since it opened. Some of these include;

AA 5 Pennants Premier Park.

Nine years of Gold David Bellamy Conservation Award.

Fair Trader Award.