SS Nomadic Trust Seeks To Boost Ticket Sales.

SS Nomadic is not only one of Belfast’s newest attractions, but it is also the last remaining vessel of the iconic White Star Line, the operators of the Titanic and its sister ships. It has a particular place in history as it was constructed to ferry first and second class passengers to the Titanic.

SS Nomadic - looking at price incentives

Although it had 13,000 paying visitors in its first three months, the operators are more than aware that the difficult economic are still with us, and they are looking into changes in ticketing to help boost visitor numbers. Under consideration are plans to reduce admission prices for winter, but more interestingly there is talk that they may aim to secure a joint ticketing deal with the Titanic Belfast signature tourism project next year.

The Nomadic is sited on the Belfast docks where it was constructed and fitted out. The chairman of the Nomadic Trust, Denis Rooney, said they were "on target" for first year projections, with 40,000 quoted as the break even figure at its opening at the end of May.

But he said reduced prices - £8.50 for an adult - are "under consideration", but no decision has been reached. He added: "Any business has to consider what is appropriate to try and improve its footfall. Do not forget we are only open three-and-a-half months and are trying all sorts of things on the Nomadic."

A more longer term goal may be a joint ticketing arrangement with the nearby £100m Titanic Belfast signature project, discussions on which appear encouraging. To many members of the public, this may seem an obvious move, although with tickets to Titanic Belfast standing at £14.75 for an adult ticket, the cost implications are there to be carefully considered.

Titanic Belfast is a top attraction that boasted 850,000 visitors during its first 12 months in operation. Its chief executive Tim Husbands said: "Joint ticketing is an option currently under discussion between the two parties with a view to introducing such a scheme for the launch early next year."
The Nomadic was saved from the salvage yard and has undergone a £7m restoration programme.

                                                      http://www.nomadicbelfast.com/
                                                        http://www.titanicbelfast.com/