§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
What financial support, over the past year, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board has given to the Irish cultural tourism programme and to that of Ulster Scots. [HL3426]
§ Lord Williams of MostynThe Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) has mainstreamed cultural tourism as a key marketing and development opportunity for tourism in Northern Ireland. NITB will prioritise the development of a visitor experience that is unique to Northern Ireland and that capitalises on the distinctive and diverse elements of Northern Ireland's cultural traditions and way of life.
More specifically on the issue of financial support for cultural events, NITB supported the following during the period from 1 June 2002 to 31 May 2003:
£ Lady of the Lake Festival, Fermanagh 500 Fiddlers Green 1,000 Ulster Fleadh 1,000 Apprentice Boys: Maiden City Festival 20,000 Feile an Phobail 20,000 Ardoyne Fleadh 1,000 Rhythm in the City 5,000 Festival of the Peninsulas 5,000 Belfast Festival at Queen's 15,000 Bard of Armagh Festival 1,000 Cinemagic 5,000 Belfast Film Festival 2002–03 1,000 Bangor Choral Festival 500 Celtic Film & Television Festival 5,000 Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival 1,000 Total 82,000