Northern Ireland's tourism minister Arlene Foster welcomed delegates from the UKInbound Convention in Belfast, calling this period a 'significant opportunity for tourism' in the country, according to Inside Ireland.

The event, hosted for the first time in Belfast, is considered to be the most important trade body within the UK Tourism sector and includes 200 captains of the sector that gather to discuss tourism issues.

NI2012 was highlighted by Foster to be an amazing opportunity for Northern Ireland, paraphrasing the campaigns slogan, 'Our Time, Our Place'.  She commented in Inside Ireland that: “The immediate future and the period ahead promises to be full of opportunities and in terms of tourism potential, the most significant in Northern Ireland’s history."

NI2012 will include momentous events such as the Titanic Belfast Festival, Peace One Day Concert, Land of Giants and the 50th Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queens. There are also sporting events that are likely to attract a lot of attention, such as the Irish Open at Royal Portrush and the Clipper round the world yacht race.