Economy Minister Dr has launched a
consultation on the minimum quality standards and statutory
requirements of the north's visitor/tourist accommodation sector.
Visitor and tourist accommodation includes Hotels, B&Bs and
Self-Catering Establishments.
The proposed changes follow a review of the existing arrangements
to ensure they address the current and future needs of the
tourism industry, as well as its domestic and international
customers.
The Minister said: “Tourism is one of our key industries
and has seen real growth in recent times. With more people
visiting, and our strategic goal to grow tourism expenditure from
our overnight visitors to exceed £2billion by 2035, it is
important that the mechanisms that support the sector are fit for
purpose and address the changing needs of the tourism
sector.”
The regulation of visitor/tourist accommodation through Tourism
NI's Certification Scheme has played an important role in
improving standards.
The last review of these regulatory arrangements took place in
2011. Since then, there has been significant changes in market
trends regarding the types of visitor/tourist accommodation being
provided by industry, as well as a change to the minimum
standards and offerings visitors expect.
A review of the 1992 Tourism Order has been identified as a key
action in the Minister's Tourism Vision & Action Plan: 10
Year Plan. This consultation on proposed changes to the
Categories Regulations seeks to address a key part of that
activity.
The Minister concluded: “Our tourist offering is world
class. This consultation aims to support our industry and
better reflect trends in the sector. I would encourage
anyone with an interest to respond to shape this important update
in the regulation of our visitor/tourist accommodation.”
In addition to seeking comments on the proposed changes, the
Department also welcomes respondents providing additional
suggestions for amending or adding to the minimum quality
standards criteria for consideration.
This consultation will remain open for 12 weeks, closing at 5pm
on Tuesday 6 January 2026. The consultation is available at
https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/consultations/consultation-policy-statutory-regulation-tourist-accommodation.
