New £2.3million Gateway to tourism centre will boost rural economy - Poots

Environment Minister Edwin Poots has helped to officially open a new £2.3million visitor centre at the edge of Lough Neagh that will be a ‘Gateway’ to new tourism facilities.

Part-funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) the Gateway Centre at Lough Road, Antrim offers a great base for cycling and canoeing activities as well as new restaurant and terrace, tourism information, exhibition space telling the story of Lough Neagh and showering facilities. The Centre is also the home of Lough Neagh Rescue.

“I recognise the importance of tourism to our rural communities and economy so I am delighted that we have invested £0.5million from our Rural Tourism Scheme into the Gateway Centre at Lough Neagh, which provides an interactive space telling not only the story of the lough but also providing a focal point for tourists to plan their visit,” said Minister Poots during a visit to the centre which is also home to the Lough Neagh Rescue.

“I believe that investing in tourism projects in rural areas, will enable not only linkages to be made to other local attractions, but also the development of ‘tourism corridors’, which will encourage and increase visitor footfall from tourism hotspots into the great rural outdoors. 

“It is clear from my visit here today, that the creation of visitor experiences showcasing our natural landscape and that are compelling and accessible to all, can offer long term sustainability and growth for rural tourism in Northern Ireland. I wish this project every success going forward,” added Minister Poots who officially opened the centre along with Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Jim Montgomery.

“This project will generate significant economic and tourism benefits for Lough Neagh and its surrounding areas. I would like to take this opportunity to thank DAERA, the Heritage Lottery Fund and Lough Neagh Landscape Partnership for the support they have provided for this much needed facility,” said Cllr Montgomery.

Notes to editors: 

1. Lough Neagh is the largest lake in the British Isles being approximately 20 miles long and 9 miles wide.
2. Download more information on the facilities in the Gateway Centre.
3. DAERA’s strategic Rural Tourism Scheme is a component of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.
4. The scheme invests in natural and built heritage projects that can act as a key driver for encouraging rural tourism and out of state visitors, whilst preserving the built and natural assets of the rural community.
5. Follow DAERA on Twitter and Facebook.
6. All media queries should be directed to the DAERA Press Office.​​
7. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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