£4.5M TITANIC INVESTMENT MARKS A YEAR OF ACHIEVEMENTS FOR MARITIME BELFAST

Maritime Belfast Trust, the charity responsible for promoting and preserving Belfast’s maritime heritage, marks a year of achievements by revealing a significant investment of £4.5million for the Gallery Refreshment Programme at Titanic Belfast.

Earlier this year Titanic Belfast charity owner Maritime Belfast Trust and Titanic Belfast’s commercial operator announced details of a major Gallery Refreshment Programme as part of the visitor attraction’s 10^th year milestone.  Set to be delivered by February 2023, this investment underpins the Trust’s wider aspirations to deliver a vibrant, connected, heritage waterfront for local people and visitors to enjoy.

The investment, which comes from the Titanic Belfast Gallery Refreshment Fund established when the building opened as part of the commercial operator agreement and held by the charity, is set to secure the attraction’s place as one of the world’s leading visitor attractions into the next decade.

Titanic Belfast will be closed from Monday January 2, until Tuesday February 28, 2023.  During this time, there’s the opportunity to enjoy the Titanic story with two daily outdoor tours showcasing the iconic building and slipways.

Throughout 2022 Maritime Belfast Trust has continued to invest, preserve, and promote Belfast’s iconic maritime heritage, with much welcome support from key partners, including Belfast Harbour, Belfast City Council and Tourism NI.

Key achievements delivered throughout 2022 includes:

• SS Nomadic, the world’s largest RMS Titanic artefact, received a fresh coat of paint during the summer. The work was carried out by its original builders Harland & Wolff. Maritime Belfast Trust invested £75,000 for the commissioned works.
• Launch of Where Belfast Begins, a story plan framework for anyone with an interest in developing the city’s waterfront and Maritime Mile. A guide to help bring Belfast’s distinct 400 year maritime story to life, influence development and create an iconic and authentic heritage destination.
• Launch of SoundYard, a heritage inspired play installation, which won the 2021 EastSide Award for Tourism experience of the year.
• Maritime Milestones, a yearlong campaign encouraging everyone to enjoy Belfast’s iconic waterfront experience through a range of anniversaries, events, heritage and international days animating Belfast’s iconic waterfront throughout 2022.
• Sundays on the Maritime Mile, over 10,000 visitors enjoyed a vibrant programme of free music sessions along the Maritime Mile, supporting over 51 local artists.
• 1.5 million total reach across social media, online and media on the work of Maritime Belfast Trust.

Reflecting on Maritime Belfast Trust achievements throughout 2022 Dr Marie-Thérèse McGivern, Chair of Maritime Belfast Trust, said:
“ The last twelve months have focussed on recovery, re-engagement, and reflection. We celebrate key achievements delivered in 2021/2022, including the launch of the award winning SoundYard and the delivery of a vibrant events programme, attracting thousands of people to the waterfront on a daily basis. We are thrilled to be continuing the celebrations in 2023 and commencing the Titanic Belfast Gallery Refreshment programme. The investment of £4.5million from the Gallery Refreshment Fund is our largest and  ambitious refreshment project to date. Titanic Belfast plays a key part in making Belfast’s iconic waterfront a vibrant, accessible heritage destination and we look forward to continuing to work with all our key stakeholders to shape the Maritime Mile.”

Judith Owens MBE, Chief Executive of Titanic Belfast, added:
“Over the past 10 years, Titanic Belfast has become one of the world’s leading visitor attractions and has attracted over 7 million local, national, and international visitors. The gallery refreshment programme will allow us to build on our success, push boundaries and stay at the forefront of the industry, enhancing the overall Titanic Belfast experience in an innovative way.”