Five-year plan to develop St Patrick Centre

Five-year plan to develop St Patrick Centre

12 December 2018

A NEW five-year development plan is to be drawn up for the St Patrick Centre in Downpatrick.

Newry, Mourne and Down Council is to join forces with the flagship tourist centre’s management board and Tourism NI to draw up the document which aims to help enhance the visitor centre’s appeal and attract more visitors.

A key focus will be on the use of new digital technology, including augmented and virtual reality to help tell St Patrick’s story to new audiences.

The centre dedicated to Ireland’s patron saint has been financially supported by the district’s ratepayers since it opened and with the current business plan due to end next March, council officials are eager to draw up a replacement to ensure the centre continues to play a key role at the heart of the district’s Patrician story.

Agreement to draw up a new business plan —  which is expected to cost in the region of £10,000 to complete —  was approved at Monday night’s meeting of the local authority’s Economic, Regeneration and Tourism Committee.

Council officials say the patron saint’s story and the birth of christianity in Ireland are recognised as one of the district’s key strengths as an international visitor destination in the local authority’s tourism strategy.

They believe the development of a new business plan for the next five years will help identify opportunities for the development of the visitor experience linked to the St Patrick story. 

Most significantly, officials say the plan will identify opportunities to introduce so-called immersive technologies which will have a wider audience appeal. Another key part of the new business plan will be to not only increase visitor numbers and revenue and the time people spend in the multi-million pound centre, but within the wider Downpatrick area.

Local politicians are keen to see many of those who visit the tourist facility making their way to nearby shops and businesses and also explore other heritage sites in Downpatrick and the wider area.

It was confirmed at the meeting that the new business plan’s terms of reference will be developed by council officers, Tourism NI officials and St Patrick Centre Director, Dr Tim Campbell.

Dr Campbell said it was important to work strategically with the local council and Tourism Northern Ireland to plan for the future.

“We very much welcome this development and want our success in telling the story of St Patrick to continue and to increasingly benefit the wider area as tourism becomes one of the most important parts of our economy,” he said.

Mournes councillor Willie Clarke has also welcomed plans for the centre.

He said the facility played a key role in attracting international visitors to the district and believed that if a new hotel is built in the Downpatrick area it would enable people to stay longer and explore other sites closely associated with the patron saint, learning more about his legacy.

“I am pleased the local authority will be working in tandem with the St Patrick Centre and Tourism NI on the new business case and that one of the key areas it will focus on is new technologies in the exhibition area with the emphasis on augmented and virtual reality,” he added.