Susie McCullough talks about the growth of tourism in Belfast and the Ulster-Scots tour launching this summer.  CLICK HERE or on the photo above for the video.

Tourism agencies in Northern Ireland are hoping to attract visitors from the Southeast U.S. by launching a tour focused on Scots-Irish historic sites this summer.

Susie McCullough, marketing director for the Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau, told GlobalAtlanta that the tour targets the many people in the U.S. who trace their heritage back to Northern Ireland and Scotland.

“We feel that Northern Ireland is very appealing to the North American market,” she said.  “A lot of Scots-Irish, especially in the South, came from here.”

Ms. McCullough added that while agencies such as Tourism Ireland promote the entire island, this tour promotes a specific area around Belfast, Northern Ireland’s capital, to a region of the U.S.  

GlobalAtlanta visited the city to examine tourism and business initiatives in the United Kingdom province following one year of local government.  The region's major political parties formed a government last May, providing political stability after decades of political and religious conflict.

Scottish settlers began moving to the north of Ireland in the 17th century, where they became known as Ulster-Scots, after the ancient name for the northernmost province of the island, before migrating to America.  Called Scots-Irish in their new home, many settled in the Southeast, including the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2000, 4.3 million Americans identified themselves as “Scotch-Irish,” an interchangeable designation.  More than 142,000 of the respondents were in Georgia.  A number of U.S. presidents traced their heritage to what is now Northern Ireland, including Andrew Jackson, James Polk and Woodrow Wilson. 

Speaking at Belfast’s Merchant Hotel, a former Ulster Bank location refurbished to provide four-star accommodations, Ms. McCullough said the bureau is working with the Ulster-Scots Agency and Ulster-Scots Heritage Council to promote the tour.

Beginning at the Belfast Welcome Center, the tour includes a visit to Carrickfergus, a more than 1,000-year-old town featuring one of Ireland’s oldest Norman castles.  Other sites include the Andrew Jackson Cottage, where his mother was born, and the U.S. Rangers Centre, which housed U.S. troops during World War II.

The tour is to be offered every Sunday in July and cost about $20 for adults and $16 for children.  Tickets can be booked in advance at the Visitor and Convention bureau Web site below.