Over the last decade Belfast and Northern Ireland have been transformed.

The Titanic building was a stroke of genius and is something that everyone in Northern Ireland should be proud of. People travel from all over the world to see what is on offer at Titanic.

Belfast as a City has come on leaps and bounds in the last decade – restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs, concert venues, theatres. Something for everyone. The next time you’re walking around the City Centre pay attention to just how many tourists are now visiting our country.

And it’s not just Belfast getting the benefit – let’s face it, it’s not a very big place. Anyone visiting for any length of time is going to do a tour taking in the Giants Causeway, Marble Arch Caves, Ulster American Folk Park, the Peace Bridge in Derry City.

We had the Giro D’Italia last year, the Irish Open returns to Northern Ireland next year, Radio 1 hosted their big weekend in Derry / Londonderry.

Everything is going in the right direction…

And then we hear of the cuts to the budget for the Department of Culture, Arts & Leisure – the upshot of which will be our museums will host fewer exhibitions and events, funding will be withdrawn for the very events that attract the visitors in the first place. There can be no doubt that this will also lead to people losing their jobs.

Most frustrating of all is the often peddled argument – the return on investment on the arts doesn’t add up. I hope those peddling this falsehood remember their words when the Northern Ireland Tourist Board inevitably reports on a drop in visitor numbers as a result of these cuts. People won’t come here if there is nothing to come here for.

The events that receive funding from the Department of Culture, Arts & Leisure are an investment in our infrastructure that helps to support the positioning of Northern Ireland as an attractive destination for tourists.

Simply seeing it as a cost is a blinkered view that needs to stop if we are to continue to build on recent successes.