Visit Ards and North Down Tourism Team… Here to help you

15th January 2024

Here’s how….

We work to keep Ards and North Down at the forefront of visitors’ minds, so that they choose this beautiful place for day trips, booking an overnight stay or longer staycation. We also work with Tourism Northern Ireland and Tourism Ireland to encourage bookings from further afield. We know that they will have an unforgettable experience and enjoy the warmest of welcomes from our wonderful local tourism providers.

Contact us via the Visitor Information Centre contact details below to ensure we have the most up to date details for your product offering.

Visitor Information Centres (VICS)

VICs are often the first point of contact for visitors wishing to explore what a region has to offer and can be in person, over the phone or via email.  There are two permanent Centres in Ards and Bangor with a trained team of Visitor Advisors.  While the staff know the area well and regularly research for new providers and events, it is great to have direct engagement with you, the trade, to get regular updates.

• Free listing in the Ards and North Down Visitor Guide and Visitor Map (subject to criteria)

• Within the office, racking is available to display your information – leaflets, posters. 
• The team deliver outreach, taking information on the region to large scale events both locally, eg Mount Stewart or further afield, eg Balmoral Show.
• The team will also ensure your information is shared with relevant tourism colleagues in the Tourism Development Team and also Tourism NI and Visit Belfast.   

Contact 

Ards VIC - 31 Regent Street, Newtownards, BT23 4AD | 028 9182 6846 | ardsvic@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk
Bangor VIC - Tower House, 34 Quay Street, Bangor, BT20 5ED | 028 9127 0069 | bangorvic@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk  

Regular and Relevant Ezines

If you are not already signed up, you can keep up to date with regular trade and consumer news. Our trade e-zine will provide tourism insights, upcoming training opportunities and business news and via our consumer e-zine we share short breaks ideas, unique experiences, events and seasonal special offers.

Trade ezine sign up   Consumer ezine sign up

Promotion

Promotional channels include many free opportunities, such as listings on visitardsandnorthdown.com including things to do and news sections, regular ezines and tourism dedicated social media channels. 

Visit Ards and North Down Website 

• Activities and Events – we will list activities and events that meet the criteria for appearing on the Visit website (see the criteria below).
• Engaging content – we are always looking for new and inspiring content we can share on our channels, maybe a video, story or photographs of the area
• News  - we are always interested to hear and share your significant good news stories which are of interest to the tourism audience e.g. award wins, refurbishment, new or enhanced product offerings you would like to let us know about.  
 
You can share this content with us via our Share your story form or provide details of an event via our Submit an event form.
*Note – when submitting content you must read our Contributor Agreement, UK GDPR legislation and Ards and North Down content criteria both apply. 

Website event criteria

Events that meet the following criteria will be eligible to feature on the Visit website:
•             events which have visitor appeal to those beyond the borough of Ards and North Down
•             events that are held in main tourism attractions, or that encompass a town/village in the Ards and North Down borough as the main venue
•             events that are grant aided by Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Tourism Department
We cannot guarantee inclusion of all events/activities submitted – criteria must be met.
  
Visit Ards and North Down Social

Visit Ards and North Down Facebook and Instagram social pages with dedicated tourism focussed content. It would be great if you could give us a like and follow to keep up to date with what is happening in the region.  We are keen to actively grow our following, so please help us spread the word about this great place. Tag us in your activities @visitardsandnorthdown giving us the opportunity to share as appropriate. 
 
The main hashtags we will be using are #VisitAND, #ANDwelcome #LoveAND #TasteANDenjoy #ExperienceAND
 
Like and Follow us – Facebook | Instagram

We look forward to hearing from you!