Northern Ireland’s economic future depends on one simple principle: people must be able to get in, get around, and stay longer to spend more. When any part of that journey breaks down, the entire system underperforms.

This is the central argument of the Connectivity Coalition, a unified group spanning aviation, maritime, transport, and hospitality. Our message is clear: poor connectivity is not just an inconvenience; it is a direct constraint on economic growth. The Executive has placed tourism front and centre of its economic growth strategy, planning to double visitor spend to £1.3 billion per annum by 2035. To achieve this goal, connectivity in Northern Ireland will need to be improved. When people struggle to enter the region, move within it, or fully experience it, the result is fewer visitors, reduced spend, and missed opportunities that compound over time.

Getting in: connectivity as the gateway to growth

Northern Ireland’s geographic position makes connectivity fundamental, not optional. As demand for air travel across the island of Ireland is projected to double by 2040, the region must be prepared to handle around 21 million passengers annually. Yet structural barriers such as Air Passenger Duty continue to place local airports at a competitive disadvantage compared to Dublin. The consequence is a steady diversion of passengers away from Northern Ireland, with the associated economic activity flowing elsewhere. This is not simply a transport issue; it is a direct loss of tourism revenue, business connectivity, and investment potential. In the Coalition’s terms, when people cannot get in easily, the economy cannot perform at its full capacity.

Sea connectivity offers a more positive picture, but one that reinforces the importance of sustained investment. Belfast Harbour continues to demonstrate strong performance, with record freight volumes of 617,000 units and 1.7 million passengers annually highlighting the enduring importance of links with Great Britain. Cruise tourism alone contributes between £20 million and £25 million each year, underlining the value of international visitors arriving by sea. However, this success has been built on long-term investment in infrastructure and capacity. Without continued development, including plans to accommodate larger cruise vessels, growth would quickly plateau. The lesson is clear: progress depends on momentum, and momentum requires action.

Getting around: the friction that reduces spend

Even when visitors successfully arrive, a second barrier emerges in how easily they can move. The Connectivity Coalition identifies this as a critical weakness, with fragmented and insufficient transport options limiting the ability of people to fully engage with the region.

Rail connectivity to key gateways such as airports remains underdeveloped, despite clear evidence of demand. A significant proportion of passengers travel between Belfast City Airport and the city centre, and the absence of direct rail links represents a missed opportunity to improve both experience and sustainability. At the same time, delays in taxi reform have created ongoing uncertainty within the industry, affecting availability and reliability. Despite the announcement of a review of taxi legislation in 2025, progress has been slow, with little clarity or tangible output for operators. This is a clear example of how delayed policy translates into real-world constraints.

For taxis, the review of Class C classification as promised by the Minister for Infrastructure remains a priority. While Class C classification was meant to apply only to wedding and funeral cars, some taxis have started to register in this class and therefore are not regulated like the driver in Class A and B. Class C taxis have no meters, no roof signs and no maximum tariffs, leaving them open to price surging, which is very damaging for the consumer.

Allowing all taxis to use all bus lanes, as is the case in the Republic of Ireland and most council areas in the UK, would also benefit the taxi sector. When the previous Minister for Infrastructure, John O’Dowd, implemented a trial of this reform in December 2024, bus productivity was unaffected and taxi productivity was estimated to have increased by around 30 per cent. With a significant change of taxi drivers in the industry at the moment, down from over 15,000 to about 7,500, this change could have the same effect as introducing 2,000 drivers at no cost to the Executive. The increased productivity would improve service for our customers and reduce fares and emissions.

These issues may appear operational, but their impact is economic. When movement is difficult, visitors spend less time exploring, reduce their activity, and ultimately contribute less to the local economy. In short, when people cannot get around easily, they do less and spend less.

Dwell and spend: the missed multiplier

The final stage of the journey – where visitors dwell and spend – is where the greatest economic value is realised, yet it is also where the risks of inaction are most visible. Hospitality and tourism, as a £2 billion industry and the fourth largest private sector employer, is central to this equation. It captures two-thirds of tourism spend and retains £58 of every £100 spent within the local economy.

However, the sector is under intense pressure from rising costs, increased taxation, and reduced consumer spending, with around 2,000 jobs already lost. While there are clear signs of opportunity, including expanded hotel capacity surpassing 10,000 rooms across Northern Ireland and major upcoming events expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors, these cannot be fully leveraged without the right conditions. One-off peaks in demand cannot compensate for a system that struggles to support consistent, year-round growth.

If visitors arrive but cannot move easily or choose to shorten their stay, the economic multiplier effect is weakened. In the Coalition’s framework, if people cannot dwell and spend, the full value of tourism is never realised.

A system problem, not a sector problem

Underlying all of these challenges is a structural issue: the fragmentation of responsibility across multiple departments, with no single point of accountability for connectivity. This leads to delays, disjointed decision-making, and a lack of coordinated strategy.

Connectivity is not about individual sectors operating in isolation, but about how effectively they combine to create a seamless journey from arrival to departure. Air routes, ports, rail links, taxis, and hospitality are all interdependent. When they work together, they create a system that attracts visitors, encourages longer stays, and maximises economic return. When they do not, the system underperforms.

The real cost of doing nothing

The cost of inaction is cumulative and increasingly visible. Each passenger lost to competing airports represents lost revenue for local businesses. Each delayed infrastructure project constrains future capacity. Each unresolved regulatory issue reduces efficiency and undermines confidence.

Individually, these impacts may appear incremental. Collectively, they amount to hundreds of millions in missed opportunity.

From opportunity to action

Northern Ireland does not lack opportunity. It has strong maritime links, growing demand for air travel, and a hospitality sector capable of delivering significant economic returns. What it requires now is coordinated action to unlock that potential.

Making it easier for people to get in, get around, and stay longer to spend more is not simply a transport objective; it is an economic imperative. Doing nothing is not a neutral choice. It is a decision to accept lost growth, reduced competitiveness, and missed Executive economic target. It is a decision the region can no longer afford to make.

By the Northern Ireland Connectivity Coalition, comprised of: Belfast City Airport, Belfast Harbour, Belfast International Airport, fonaCAB, Hospitality Ulster, and Value Cabs. All members are organisations who depend on the movement of people into and throughout Northern Ireland to survive and grow.

Their purpose is to force attention, create understanding, and work with political and legislative leaders on finding solutions to the issues currently facing connectivity in Northern Ireland.