Titanic Belfast CEO Tim Husbands has been named Business Person of the Year at the recent Belfast Business Awards.
Nottingham-born Hubands had previously been Chief Executive of Belfast’s Wateont Hall and Ulster Hall, before being appointed CEO of Northern Ireland’s most expensive tourist attraction.
Earlier this year the Northern Ireland Audit Office had warned that Titanic Belfast needed to attract 290,000 visitors each year to make it financially viable, but the venue responded with more than 600,000 visitors in just over seven months.
Stakeholders in the Titanic project come from both the public and private sector and include Belfast City Council, the Northern Ireland Executive, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, the Harbour Commissioners and Titanic Quarter.
The venue also picked up the award for Best Hospitality Business at the awards, in addition to the UTV Business Eye gong for Tourism/Hospitality Project of the Year, and the Best Northern Ireland Visitor Attraction at the travel and tourism annual celebrations.
On picking up the latest addition to the awards cabinet, Husbands said: “I am proud of what Titanic Belfast has achieved for the city. It is symbolic of Belfast reclaiming back its heritage and ensuring that the story of Titanic is a lasting one.”
He said the stakeholders’ vision had been turned into a real boost for the local economy.
The Titanic Belfast houses temporary exhibits, a banqueting suite, education and community facilities, catering and retail space, and a basement car park.
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