The Northern Ireland tourism sector risks returning to pre-peace agreement visitor patterns if the region is not exempted from the UK’s new visa waiver scheme, a Stormont minister has warned.
Economy minister Conor Murphy said this summer’s Open Championship golf tournament in Portrush could be one of the first high-profile events to suffer due to the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) requirement, with international visitors to the island opting not to travel north to take in the sporting showpiece.
