Some are sceptical that Northern Ireland or Belfast could ever rival other leading tourist hot spots. But he points to Belfast's post-conflict cachet, including benefits from the curiosity of visitors seeking an understanding of the Troubles. The Living History Tours of Belfast, run by transport company Translink, and the Black Taxi guide to the locations where some of the worst atrocities of the Troubles took place are proving more popular than ever. Where the North can make an impact, he suggests, is in attracting the specialist holidaymaker. It will also attract those interested in pastimes such as fishing, golf, motorsports, as well as delegates looking for a new place to hold their annual general meeting.
Some people take more convincing.
Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme this week, local freelance journalist Malachi O'Doherty questioned why anyone would visit Northern Ireland for their holidays. We are living with the assumption that a peace dividend awaiting us is a huge boom in tourism, and that the only thing currently deterring the hordes is the prospect of being petrol bombed or confined to their hostels or hotels by roadblocks. 1995 was a boom year for tourism here, and it was the ceasefires that got the credit for that. It was also the warmest summer we had had for years and it hasn't been repeated since. Look out your window.