Thousands of air passengers arriving in to George Best Belfast City Airport will now be able to access the latest visitor information no matter what time they arrive, thanks to a new innovative welcome information ‘pod’ installed by Visit Belfast.
Following the successful opening of Visit Belfast’s flagship Welcome Centre in Donegall Square last year, the tourism agency has been rolling out a city-wide visitor servicing strategy that will see visitor information at key entry points including both of Belfast’s airports, Central Station and Great Victoria Bus Station, enabling travellers to access detailed information on over 600 tourism products and onward travel as soon as they arrive.
Developing a service that combines excellent customer with the latest technology has been key in developing the new information pods. State-of-the-art self-service screens will provide up-to-the-minute information provided by visitor advisors throughout the day. For overseas visitors, there is a top 25 most frequently asked questions available in 7 foreign languages including French, German, Chinese and Japanese.
Visit Belfast’s Chief Executive Gerry Lennon recognises the importance of providing a welcome and orientation at a number of points of entry, saying:
“Airport tourist information centres create a positive showcase of the city and region they serve and have become a standard feature of leading European city destinations.
“The new pods at the airports include a self-serve information screen, which provide a modern, innovative and efficient way in delivering up-to-date visitor information on the latest events, transport, accommodation and visitor attractions in Belfast and Northern Ireland.
Welcoming the development, Cllr Deirdre Hargey in her role as Chair of Belfast City Council’s Development committee said:
“Belfast is a world class visitor destination with so much to see and do, and the smart use of new technology will bring all that our city has to offer straight to the fingertips of millions of visitors for years to come.”
George Best Belfast City Airport has worked closely with Visit Belfast in ensuring the pods will enhance the visitor experience at the first opportunity. Katy Best, the airport’s Commercial and Marketing Director said:
“We are always looking at new ways to enhance our customer service and we are delighted that this new, interactive visitor information pod will help our customers quickly get all the information they need in the most convenient and efficient way.”
David Thomson, acting Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board who supported the installation through the EU Sustainable Competitive Programme for NI said:
“With an ever growing number of leisure tourists to Northern Ireland, providing detailed and relevant tourist information is as important as ever been. The new information pods will boost the already excellent facilities at Belfast City Airport, and enhance the visitor experience even further.”