VIDEO: Tourism link-up for north Antrim businesses

North coast business, including some from the Ballymoney, Ballycastle and Glens areas, have become part of a new NITB-approved activity breaks provider.

Activity Breaks UK, an ‘experiential tourism’ organisation set up by Managing Director Ricky Martin, was officially launched recently at the Ramada Hotel in Portrush recently.

The online business, which currently has 80 members signed up from across Northern Ireland, promotes activities such as water sports, cookery schools, arts and crafts skills, land and air adventures as well as promoting accommodation providers, specialist shops and places to wine and dine.

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Mr Martin, from Portrush and owner of Alive Surf School, said the focus of Activity Breaks UK is to attract service providers from across the province to use the facility to promote their businesses and to provide an online service whereby people can enjoy Northern Ireland as an all-year round tourism destination.

He said: “We live in a beautiful place and we believe www.activity-breaks.co.ukwill showcase Northern Ireland as a fun and adventurous place to visit. Northern Ireland has been put on an international stage this year with the City of Derry~Londonderry City of Culture and the World Police and Fire Games. We aim to encourage people from Northern Ireland to staycate but also to give tourists a one stop shop which will showcase Northern Ireland as a fun packed holiday destination.”

One such business to get on board with activitybreaks.co.uk is Foylehov - Northern Ireland’s only hovercrafting facility.

Situated in Magilligan in the shadow of Binevenagh, Foyle Hovercrafting and Leisure offers hovercrafting, powerturning buggying, laserclays, archery and laser combat.

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Owner David Wilson told the Times why he decided to link up with activitybreaks.co.uk

“Foylehov is a farm diversification project and after some research we came across hovercrafting and now, we are Northern Ireland’s only hovercraft provider.

“We have a purpose-built kilometre long track which incorporates land and water.

“We have also introduced a variety of other activities including power turn buggies, laser clay pigeon shooting, outdoor laser skirmish and archery.

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“We got involved with activitybreaks.co.uk because as an activity provider I was interested in forming partnerships with accommodation providers to attract the tourism industry down here.

“I like the fact that we are all moving in the same direction. We all like to try to help each other, we are not treading on each other’s toes but it’s nice to know that we are all driving towards the same goal which is making our businesses successful in a challenging economic climate.”