|
Orangemen mean business when it comes to the Twelfth! For
the results of a special survey carried out within the Institution
reveal that brethren spent an estimated £6 million on
the Twelfth of July in 2004, the Grand Orange Lodge has revealed.
The detail comes from the highly successful survey carried
out within the Institution last year, and was revealed at
a press conference and launch at Schomberg House.
Sharing the good news were a variety of representatives from
civic society, politicians and senior County members of the
Institution.
They heard Grand Master Brother Robert Saulters stress that
although the perception was of many people leaving Northern
Ireland to go on holiday during the Twelfth fortnight, attention
needed to be paid to the numbers who came in for the festivities.
Deputy Grand Master Brother Rev. Stephen Dickinson urged
everyone to consider the potential benefits of the Twelfth,
as did Grand Secretary Brother Drew Nelson and Director of
Services Brother David Hume.
Thanks were expressed to those individuals, Lodges and Districts
who completed survey forms. The results of their efforts are
quite staggering.
They reveal that over £6.3 million came into the Northern
Ireland economy as a result of the Twelfth.
This figure is not the whole story, since it does not take
into account the amount generated through spectators or visitors
spending more than one night in the province.
Now the Institution is offering to assist the Tourist Board
in making the Twelfth even more of an economic success.
The Orange Order is pledging to assist with a "Stepping
Out" campaign which would encourage members of the Orange
family in Scotland and England, Canada and elsewhere to visit
Northern Ireland during the Twelfth period. The survey saw
response from 29 per cent of Districts and 9 per cent of Lodges,
both figures highly satisfactory from a statistical point
of view. Hundreds of individual Orangemen also assisted in
the project.
The finding revealed, among other things, that 91 per cent
of those questioned spent an average of £27.50 each
on refreshments and meals during the day.
More than half of those questioned bought new items of clothing,
spending an average of £80.78 each, while visiting bandsmen
and Orange groups are estimated to have accounted for 45,000
bed nights in the Province.
Assistance in the survey from the tourist point of view came
from the Larne Tourist Information Centre, which helped with
a pilot study of bed providers in the area. This survey, although
small, clearly identified the importance of the Scottish market
for Twelfth holidays in Ulster.
The survey also focused on regional trends, including the
fact that the highest spenders overall appear to be those
from County Down, who spent an average of £130.52 on
all aspects of the Twelfth. They were followed by County Londonderry
(£125.31), Belfast (£103.85), Armagh (£100.56),
Fermanagh (£72.95), Antrim (£66.88) and Tyrone
(£59.02).
Londonderry Orangemen spent most on refreshments and meals
during the Twelfth Day (£38.81), Belfast spent most
on travel, averaging £19.58, and Down topped the clothing
league table at £114.22 followed by Fermanagh (£95.13)
and Belfast (£89).
|
