0:00:02 > 0:00:04City tours, folks. Hop-on, hop-off.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Please stop harassing these women.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09It's like a dog-eat-dog show out there, you know?
0:00:09 > 0:00:13People want people on their buses and they'll do anything sometimes
0:00:13 > 0:00:14to, you know, provoke you.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16THEY SPEAK OVER EACH OTHER
0:00:16 > 0:00:19I do apologise. I'm trying to speak to you,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22but this guy keeps interrupting.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25There's a gold rush on the streets of Belfast.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28That's our eighth bus that's gone out now, full top and bottom.
0:00:28 > 0:00:29Bring it on.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32I can sell snow to the Eskimos,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34sand to the Arabs,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36and fries to us boys.
0:00:36 > 0:00:37Not a problem.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44Last year, well over two million people visited Northern Ireland.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48I'm looking forward to see something about Titanic.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Some wanted to see the sights.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53It's a very impressive city, isn't it?
0:00:53 > 0:00:55It's very impressive, yes, it is. Very beautiful.
0:00:55 > 0:00:56DOG HOWLS
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Some came to soak up the TV stardust.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04That's the fathers' names.
0:01:04 > 0:01:09And some were returning to a place they haven't seen in a lifetime.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Oh, my goodness. I am home, aren't I?
0:01:12 > 0:01:18This is the inside story of Northern Ireland's bus wars.
0:01:18 > 0:01:19Whoo!
0:01:19 > 0:01:21From the tourists who come here...
0:01:21 > 0:01:23I've been to some of the other wonders of the world -
0:01:23 > 0:01:26this definitely ranks right up there. It was fantastic.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29The clutch is out a bit.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30- BLEEP- me.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35..to the parts of the business that nobody else gets to see.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39The way the tours are run in Belfast at the moment, it's really a war.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Welcome to Bus Wars.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Northern Ireland's north coast.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13This beautiful scenery now attracts tourists from all around the world.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18And when they come here, somebody has to show them around.
0:02:20 > 0:02:21Who ate all the biscuits?
0:02:24 > 0:02:25Right, more biscuits.
0:02:25 > 0:02:26Back in a minute.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Benn Allen has been running bus tours in Northern Ireland
0:02:29 > 0:02:31for nearly a decade.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34INTERVIEWER: What would you describe yourself as?
0:02:34 > 0:02:37An entrepreneur.
0:02:37 > 0:02:38That's a good way of putting it.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42He works on a tight budget.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Probably cost me £400 for that.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46We've got them sitting around.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48It probably cost us three quid.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51He would go to the scrapyard and come home with stuff
0:02:51 > 0:02:54that we would look at like normal people would look at it.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Like, they wouldn't be in the bus industry, and be like, "What is that? That's rubbish."
0:02:58 > 0:03:00That's worth a few pound there.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Clean that up and you would probably get 50 quid for it online.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06But, to him, everything's valuable and he finds a use for all the
0:03:06 > 0:03:08wee, smallest parts, you know. But, yeah, he really loves his buses.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10I don't know why, but he does.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Have you checked in, yeah?
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Oh, yes, yes, sure. Go in the minibus, that's no problem. OK.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24We've overbooked.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27Some people have booked online while we were asleep last night,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30so we come in this morning, we've, er, technically, no room for them,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33so we might have to put an extra vehicle on just to facilitate them.
0:03:36 > 0:03:37Although I'm using older vehicles,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41the vehicles I'm using are like the Rolls-Royce of coaches.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45By the time they've sat on it for half an hour, they realise
0:03:45 > 0:03:48this thing isn't going to pack in or anything, they're grand.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52I've only got a few seats left, so I'm going to fill them and you're
0:03:52 > 0:03:55going to fill up and Rhys is going to take anything that's left.
0:03:55 > 0:03:56Do four at a time.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00The aim is to be the biggest and best tour company in Belfast.
0:04:00 > 0:04:01By running it cheaper, by running it free,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04by doing a better service.
0:04:04 > 0:04:05Whatever it takes along those lines.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Just go...see, if you go into the hostel there across the road.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12There's a wee office around the side, go and ask there...
0:04:12 > 0:04:14But Benn has serious competition.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20He's supposed to be on the other company that operates across the
0:04:20 > 0:04:22road, so he got on the wrong bus.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28McComb's luxury coach tours are amongst his arch-rivals.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32We're not allowed to talk about 'em, cos there's an injunction.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37I'm digging those ones out...
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Benn has been at loggerheads with husband-and-wife team
0:04:40 > 0:04:44Caroline and Rodney McComb for years.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48The police had to be called quite a lot and it was becoming a constant
0:04:48 > 0:04:51thorn in our side, the things that he done.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54It ended up we had to take civil action against him.
0:04:56 > 0:04:57We spent £30,000.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01I have to say, it's been worth every penny.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03Benn sees it differently.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Well, the reason we fell out was cos I used to work for him and then
0:05:08 > 0:05:11I set up in competition against him.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15I felt that I could do things better than the way they were doing it.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21McComb's have been in the coach tour business for 20 years.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25They see themselves as the best of the best.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30And when you step back from it and look, you know, there's really...
0:05:30 > 0:05:34there's not enough depth to get something that's round like that
0:05:34 > 0:05:36on to it, I don't think.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40And I'm not happy with my brand there with then another brand
0:05:40 > 0:05:41on top of it.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Everything for us is about quality.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50It's just all about making everything a bit higher-end, you know?
0:05:52 > 0:05:54We've got a water dispenser here.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56We've got a wee WC here.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59We've got the wee fridges here as well and we've got our
0:05:59 > 0:06:02branded McComb's water as well.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05I think this is as close to five-star as it gets, yeah.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13Last year, McComb's took 70,000 people to see the Causeway Coast.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Ireland is beautiful. The Irish people are very pleasant,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19courteous and gentle.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21That is what I have liked about Ireland.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27But there is nothing gentle about what's happening behind the scenes.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33The way the tours are run in Belfast at the moment, it's really a war.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38And, this year, McComb's are upping the ante with a new,
0:06:38 > 0:06:40secret weapon in the bus wars.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43It's a brand-new venture for us.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45It's something completely different.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50Have you got some wee proofs for me for the graphics on the side of it?
0:06:50 > 0:06:53We're quite excited about it. We think it will do very well.
0:06:56 > 0:06:57Oh, here, there's a cracker.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01But Benn has plans of his own.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04It's a continuous battle.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06You cannot sit down for one day.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Somebody has changed a leaflet or price -
0:07:08 > 0:07:10well, I'm usually the one who gets the blame for doing that.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13I'll add like a wee bit extra into a tour, or drop the price a wee bit
0:07:13 > 0:07:15and then the other companies all go mad.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19"Benn's destroying it for us all. We could all be making a fortune here,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22"but Benn's doing these things for half price. What's that all about?"
0:07:23 > 0:07:26I just like to see plenty of people on the buses, you know,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28enjoying themselves, getting a bargain.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42It's early summer.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Expecting a very busy day, hopefully.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53There a cruise ship coming in. There's like 3,000 passengers on it,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56so it's going to be busy enough and, hopefully, the sun comes out.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04The Caribbean Princess is the first big cruise ship of the season
0:08:04 > 0:08:06to dock in Belfast.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11The code of conduct that we adhere to, again just a reminder,
0:08:11 > 0:08:12good behaviour at all times.
0:08:12 > 0:08:17You're here to give information as much as sell tickets as well...
0:08:17 > 0:08:21City Sightseeing Tours is an international brand
0:08:21 > 0:08:24that operates in cities across the world.
0:08:24 > 0:08:29The staff need to know it's a very important time for the company.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34Every single penny counts because we have a fairly small window
0:08:34 > 0:08:37of opportunity to make our money during the summer.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43The cruise ship industry didn't exist in Belfast until
0:08:43 > 0:08:47just a few years ago, but times have changed.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51This summer alone there will be 82 cruise ships docking in the city.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55We are a group of people from all over the world.
0:08:55 > 0:08:56Hi.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01Some of them are from Boston, some from LA, some from Santiago.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06And then some from Taiwan, some from Brazil, some from Canada.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08We have a group of 66.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12The Causeway tour companies, including McComb's,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15are on their way up the coast.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Others are headed for Belfast.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Can't wait to see Belfast and do some shopping.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Get some things there, yeah.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Yeah, she wants to spend my American money here.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Music to the ears of City Sightseeing's ticket sellers.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42But, today, they won't have things all their own way.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44There's a competitor in town.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46We are sales representatives
0:09:46 > 0:09:49of Titanic and City Tour of Belfast.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Cruise ship's in, happy days, job's easy!
0:09:55 > 0:09:58There's that many people about, you don't have to ask them.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01They tap you on the shoulder and say, "Where does the bus leave?"
0:10:01 > 0:10:03So you're up and down. Like there -
0:10:03 > 0:10:05three guys walking down the street already, so.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Owen makes me laugh every day I come into work.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15I just like to see his big, chuckling face every morning.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19This is the best job in the world.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Do you want to do a little sightseeing tour, girls?
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Not sure. Can we have a map and have a look?
0:10:25 > 0:10:28For tourists, telling the difference between the two companies
0:10:28 > 0:10:31is almost impossible.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Both wear red.
0:10:33 > 0:10:34They're the same.
0:10:35 > 0:10:36It's all one company.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Black's been tried.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Yellow's been tried, blue's been tried, green's been tried.
0:10:42 > 0:10:48Doesn't work. The only colour that's recognised round the world for bus tours is red.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50They own the City Sightseeing franchise.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52They don't own the colour red.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Global monster, local company.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58This one goes to Stormont, that one goes to Belfast Castle.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01But, as I say, both leave from the exact same place.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Please stop harassing these women!
0:11:03 > 0:11:04You're on camera!
0:11:06 > 0:11:07Sightseeing, guys?
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Hop-on, hop-off city tour.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13We would be selling our tour, they would be selling their tour,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16and it's a lot of information for tourists to take in.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20So, the tourists will be confused, and sometimes they would walk away.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Other tourists would come, we'd do the exact same,
0:11:23 > 0:11:25and they'd have a laugh with you.
0:11:25 > 0:11:26Cos I like the arguing.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Sightseeing tour. Hop-on, hop-off.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34- Have you got your tickets?- No.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Have a wee read over that, ma'am.
0:11:36 > 0:11:37They're all the same, right?
0:11:37 > 0:11:39No, they're not the same.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42- ALFIE:- The British ones, they ask you to fight!
0:11:42 > 0:11:43Oh, aye! Oh, yeah, yeah.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45- Don't they?- Yeah.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Saying, "Our friends were here three years ago and they said
0:11:47 > 0:11:49"yous were going to have fisticuffs.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51"We're here now and you're being nice to each other.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- "What's that all about?" - "Whoever wins..."- I'm not joking.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56"Whoever wins the fight, we'll go on that tour."
0:11:56 > 0:11:57City tour, folks.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Hop-on and hop-off today.
0:12:00 > 0:12:01If yous wanted to do the bus tour,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05I would give you a few pounds off, so I would. If yous wanted to do it.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Owen prides himself on selling more tickets than anyone else on the
0:12:09 > 0:12:11street, whether it's the opposition, or his own colleagues.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14..and also, we can get you discount getting into the Titanic museum.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16I can sell snow to the Eskimos,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18sand to the Arabs
0:12:18 > 0:12:19and fries to us boys.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Not a problem!
0:12:23 > 0:12:24INDISTINCT REPLY
0:12:27 > 0:12:29How much is it? £8.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31- It's normally £12.50. - Shall we do it?
0:12:31 > 0:12:32Yeah, we'll do that.
0:12:32 > 0:12:33That's great.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Come on ahead, I'll take yous down to the bus, ladies.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Oh, OK. Now he's going to take us. See you later!
0:12:38 > 0:12:39I'm not happy about that.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41I was talking to these guys first and you pinched them.
0:12:41 > 0:12:42Wait just a minute.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44I know you're my boss, but see, at the end of the day,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47see when you're good, you're good. Do you know what I mean?
0:12:47 > 0:12:49I'm disappointed in that. Glory hunter he is, girls, glory hunter.
0:12:49 > 0:12:50Away out.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53I've got the gift of the gab. I'll learn you.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55See with me, you're a valued customer.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57When you go with him, you're just a number.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Yeah, that's one of the sayings I learnt him!
0:13:02 > 0:13:04When the weather's good and the season's in,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07the pressure's on you, big time.
0:13:07 > 0:13:08Yeah, come with me, then.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10You've got to keep your numbers up.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12You've got to keep going in the summertime.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15- Cos you have to build a nest egg for when winter comes.- Yeah.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17- You do.- You're like a wee squirrel...- Thanks very much, mate.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19..hiding your nuts!
0:13:21 > 0:13:22It's a different company here.
0:13:22 > 0:13:23City Sightseeing Belfast.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Uh-oh! That's your competition?
0:13:25 > 0:13:28There's no competition. Locally owned.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Martin would be, probably the best salesman in our company,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32in my opinion.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Also, we've been best friends from a young age,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37So, that wee bit of competitiveness is always there.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39..and they don't focus on the Troubles as much as we do.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41Instead, they take you out of the city, up the mountain,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43show you Belfast Castle.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45Focus on a wee bit about the Blitz, World War II.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Now, it was a tragedy when it happened, but, really,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Northern Ireland had nothing to do with World War II.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51That's why we don't focus on it.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52Well, the Luftwaffe thought so!
0:13:54 > 0:13:55They did, they did!
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Well, that's why they ended up having to use the docks in Derry.
0:13:59 > 0:14:00We want to see that castle.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01Yeah, you want to see that castle?
0:14:01 > 0:14:04If you want to see that castle, I can put you on a free tour...
0:14:05 > 0:14:06Folks, if you'll follow me!
0:14:06 > 0:14:07I'm with the castle.
0:14:07 > 0:14:08Follow me, folks.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14I was feeling good I got one over him. I couldn't have let it there.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16He'll have had one over me, so he would've.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18- It was lovely meeting you. - Very nice.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20These are very nice people as well.
0:14:20 > 0:14:21- Thank you!- No problem, sir.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28And this is what it's all about.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33Belfast from the top of a bus.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41- TOUR GUIDE:- Botanic Gardens and the University on the left.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43An absolutely stunningly beautiful building,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47built by Charles Lanyon to try to emulate the English universities.
0:14:47 > 0:14:48My name's Brian English,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51I've been a tour guide now for about eight years.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53- Need a map?- We have a map.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55You have a map. Are yous doing the Titanic experience?
0:14:55 > 0:14:57I love the job. It's never felt like work to me.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59In fact, the very first week I did it,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02it dawned on me that I was doing something I loved.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04I was getting to talk about it.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08'Give, in many cases, my opinion or my take on it,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11'and I was getting paid for it at the end of it.'
0:15:11 > 0:15:13The easiest way to remember the Belfast accent,
0:15:13 > 0:15:14is they change their vowels.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17The vowel O becomes the vowel A.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19So, "stop" is "stap".
0:15:19 > 0:15:21- "Shop" is "shap".- OK.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23"Mop" is "map".
0:15:23 > 0:15:25OK?
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Whenever I go home, all my family want me to do is shut up.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33"Please, please, don't tell us anything about Belfast!"
0:15:33 > 0:15:35And the As becomes Es, as well.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36So a "flag" is a "fleg".
0:15:38 > 0:15:39But we don't talk about flags!
0:15:39 > 0:15:41That's pretty good.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43An older crowd,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47they're usually interested in the history of Northern Ireland,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50the history of Ireland, politics, West Belfast,
0:15:50 > 0:15:51the Falls and the Shankill,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54the names that they've heard of throughout their lives.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58The trouble, er, trouble zone or something like that?
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Yeah, that's of interest to us.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03The wall? You're talking about the wall?
0:16:03 > 0:16:05The peace wall, the peace wall.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07They're usually including motorways,
0:16:07 > 0:16:11dual carriageways and roundabouts that are strategically positioned.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16This wall would have started life as a series of burnt out double-decker
0:16:16 > 0:16:20buses, dividing Catholic from Protestant parts of streets.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24They've grown up with hearing about Northern Ireland on the news.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27They've never, ever thought of coming,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29because it was too dangerous.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Now, they've got the opportunity and they're wanting to come.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36You might be able to see hanging off the lamppost, a flag.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39And once we get past the traffic lights...
0:16:39 > 0:16:41This is the Catholic. Yeah, this is the...
0:16:41 > 0:16:44they call it Republican Belfast.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Look at the fencing as well.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48This is the largest peace wall we have.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49It's like a prison.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55I still dinnae understand why they've still all got the flags.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Kind of, like, hanging from the lampposts.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Coming up on the left now is a paramilitary mural
0:17:02 > 0:17:05where the gunmen are not wearing masks.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08That usually means one thing -
0:17:08 > 0:17:12the characters depicted on that mural are all already dead.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17I'll never use Protestant or Catholic again.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21I'll use Unionist
0:17:21 > 0:17:22and Nationalist.
0:17:22 > 0:17:23So, there's a big difference.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27No, that's great.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35Today is also a big day for Benn Allen.
0:17:35 > 0:17:36All right, Alf. How's you?
0:17:36 > 0:17:39- How's business?- Ah, great. - That's good.- How about you?
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Ah, not too bad. We're doing a cruise ship here and
0:17:41 > 0:17:42sorting it all out.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47Benn's attitude towards running a company, he's smart in some ways,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50but, in other ways, he just needs to rein it in a bit.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53- I'll take you over to the bus here now if you want.- OK.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Come on ahead.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Just follow me here.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02Today, Benn is trying to lure tourists away from the open-top bus companies
0:18:02 > 0:18:05and onto his bus coach for a tour of the Causeway.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Yeah, come on ahead.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11And, to do that, he has a secret weapon.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Welcome to Belfast.
0:18:14 > 0:18:15Welcome now.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Meet Chi Wah.
0:18:17 > 0:18:18How are you doing, blondie?
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Welcome to Belfast, folks.
0:18:20 > 0:18:21Where are you guys from?
0:18:21 > 0:18:23First impressions count, you know?
0:18:25 > 0:18:26To the Causeway?
0:18:26 > 0:18:31Well, we're talking about 20 yards, from here to the bus.
0:18:32 > 0:18:33- 20 hours?- 20 yards.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35One yard, this size. Two yards, this size.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37Sorry, I didn't catch you.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Probably better with Chinese, no?
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Is that better? Or are you more comfortable with English?
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Chi Wah has been working for Benn Allen for nine years.
0:18:46 > 0:18:47Well, I first met him, believe it or not,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50in an arcade machine establishment
0:18:50 > 0:18:54about 23 years ago.
0:18:54 > 0:18:55So, how long have you been in Belfast?
0:18:55 > 0:18:58- Oh, born and bred in Newtownards, believe it or not...- Really?
0:18:58 > 0:19:01- ..in '76, and then I moved to Belfast in '81...- Yes?
0:19:01 > 0:19:03..and I've been here ever since.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Chi's a bit of a character, like.
0:19:06 > 0:19:07He's very well known across Northern Ireland.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10He's almost a landmark.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12- I'll see you in a minute, now. - Yes, OK.
0:19:12 > 0:19:13- Keep an eye on the clock.- Yeah, OK.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Time flies, OK.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17He's a bit like Marmite as well.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19People seem to either love him or hate him.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21There's no in between!
0:19:21 > 0:19:23But, er, where's he gone?
0:19:25 > 0:19:26Oh, no, he's still there.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29If you give me the ten back, I'll give you four. Maybe.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Four little coins.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33- Four little coins. - Four little gold coins, now.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Chi Wah has done his job.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Benn is off to the Causeway with a full bus.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Just before we leave, has everybody got everybody with them?
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Nobody has left their husband or their wife or anything like that behind?
0:19:46 > 0:19:49No? Everybody here that wants to be here? Good, good.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Some of Benn's competitors have a head start.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59McComb's run a tour of the north coast every day.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05Me, my mom, my brother, my grandparents, three generations,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08we just want to see where we're from, I guess. Our ancestry.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Today, Megan and her family from Canada have come on
0:20:14 > 0:20:16a McComb's coach tour.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19I'm mostly looking forward to all the scenery, cos you see all the
0:20:19 > 0:20:23postcards and everything from Ireland and I want to see that part of it.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26I've been wanting to do this my whole life.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28So, it's great coming over.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31It's been a dream of mine, and my brothers, as well.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33We've heard about all of the places.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37You know, my mum and dad cycling up to youth hostels all the time,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39up to Giant's Causeway.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41What is it, Dad? Portrush?
0:20:41 > 0:20:44There used to be a youth hostel
0:20:44 > 0:20:45around this area.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50I told the kids about it, so we had to come and see it.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Yeah, so we just...we can now actually put a place
0:20:53 > 0:20:55to all the stories.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57We've heard about it, but now it just feels like...
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Feels like we've been here, although we've never been here before.
0:21:00 > 0:21:01You know?
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Jim hasn't seen the North Antrim coast in over 50 years.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12But the people haven't changed.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14INTERVIEWER: Does it still feel like home?
0:21:14 > 0:21:15Oh, yeah.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16It was like coming home.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Yes, it was.
0:21:18 > 0:21:19Especially coming up here.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21This is my old hunting ground.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29The easiest way is down the bottom.
0:21:29 > 0:21:30See the red brick building?
0:21:32 > 0:21:35We sell bus tours, but five times every hour,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37you're directing people to the passport office...
0:21:37 > 0:21:39- You're a bus tour seller and you're an information guide.- Yeah.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40That's what you are.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42That's exactly it.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44We're a mobile information point.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45Do you know what I mean?
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Well, with your bad feet, you're not too mobile, but...
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Joan is taking a tour with City Sightseeing.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59She's been in town for a week with her two Canadian nieces.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04I was eight years old when I went to Canada.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09I've never been back, till now, and I'm 68 years old.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Long time.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20They're here to research their family history.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25You've come to figure out,
0:22:25 > 0:22:27"Where do I come from, who am I, and what am I passing on to my kids?"
0:22:27 > 0:22:30You want to know what your background is.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32- Yeah.- You want to know your heritage.
0:22:32 > 0:22:33- Yeah.- I think that's important, too.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Yeah.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38We don't know our grandfather's family at all.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41We have no idea yet.
0:22:41 > 0:22:42We just have names.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49- Look at the ceiling. - All the way round.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53Today, at Ravenhill Presbyterian Church, they've come to find out
0:22:53 > 0:22:54more about their family.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56What a beautiful church for being so old.
0:22:57 > 0:23:02Some of their ancestors were baptised, married and buried here.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Getting off the plane and as soon as you hit the airport and
0:23:06 > 0:23:09the guy that took my passport said,
0:23:09 > 0:23:11"Hello, how are you this morning?" I went...
0:23:11 > 0:23:13SHE GASPS
0:23:13 > 0:23:17That was that feeling that, "Oh, my goodness, I am home, aren't I?"
0:23:17 > 0:23:19You know, to hear the voice. It was unbelievable.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24The marriage did take place here.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26- 1906?- 1906, December.- Yeah.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32- BENN:- There's a small tunnel. Through the tunnel.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34- OK, so it's one kilometre. - One kilometre?
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Yes, but that's an Irish kilometre, so it feels like about six miles.
0:23:44 > 0:23:45We thought it was awesome.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48I've been to some of the other wonders of the world.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50It definitely ranks right up there.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51It was fantastic.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52MUSIC: Chocolate by Snow Patrol
0:23:52 > 0:23:54# All these places
0:23:54 > 0:23:57# Feel like home... #
0:23:59 > 0:24:03A few miles away, Megan is getting ready for a challenge.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05I have heard about the rope bridge.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07I'm afraid of heights,
0:24:07 > 0:24:10but I think I'm going to try to do it anyway.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13I know my grandparents have both been across it multiple times,
0:24:13 > 0:24:14so if they can do it, I can do it.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is suspended 100 feet
0:24:21 > 0:24:22above the rocks below.
0:24:24 > 0:24:25Oh, I forgot I had to come back.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28I forgot I had to come back.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Brendan, are you shaking it?
0:24:35 > 0:24:36You aren't even shaking it.
0:24:43 > 0:24:44Wobbly.
0:24:48 > 0:24:49Whoo!
0:24:53 > 0:24:55You made it.
0:24:55 > 0:24:56Mom did better than I did.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Oh, today was... My goodness it was hard going today.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10A lot of competition, but it's all a learning experience.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14And thank God we got a lovely day, which is half the battle, you know.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Today was fantastic.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21It was beautiful. We finally got to see the country of Ireland.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23All of our other stops, we just got to see the city and
0:25:23 > 0:25:25we wanted to see the greenery.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Once you hit maybe 150 people on a cruise ship day,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32you're starting to make money.
0:25:32 > 0:25:33Anything after that's a profit.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38And we've probably done maybe 250-300 people today,
0:25:38 > 0:25:39which is a good day.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43Everything went well, customers seem to be really happy,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46and they're all safely back on the ship there, probably sipping
0:25:46 > 0:25:48pina coladas or something like that by now, and, er...
0:25:50 > 0:25:51Great.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58I don't take it home. It stays in work, you know?
0:25:58 > 0:26:01I go home, have a nice something to eat.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03- Lobster?- Have a nice beer.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Lobster, crab, octopus.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08I have it all. That's how I relax.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Dennis, what have you got for me?
0:26:19 > 0:26:21You've found three in total?
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- What?- No way!
0:26:23 > 0:26:24- William.- Yeah.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26John Crooks Garret, yes.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30May 30th '09.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31'09?!
0:26:33 > 0:26:34OK.
0:26:34 > 0:26:39For Joan and her nieces, the missing pieces of the family jigsaw
0:26:39 > 0:26:41are falling into place.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43That's the father's names.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46The father is James Brakey Garret.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51We always thought his son was James Brakey.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54Tanya has a completely new sense of where she's come from.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59After this trip, I feel more passionate about where...
0:26:59 > 0:27:03Like, Northern Ireland, and I feel passionate and loyal to that history, so...
0:27:04 > 0:27:08Well, I'm pretty loyal to Belfast, cos I never did change my status.
0:27:08 > 0:27:09I'm still a British subject.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12- I never took out Canadian citizenship.- Yeah.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15Even though I've been there since I was eight years old,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18I'm still a British subject.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20So, I love my country.
0:27:21 > 0:27:22Love where I came from.
0:27:24 > 0:27:25And I will keep it.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35With more and more visitors coming to Belfast,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Benn Allen sees an opportunity.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Until a few years ago, his company made a lot of money
0:27:41 > 0:27:45providing open-top bus tours of Belfast city.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47It looks great, doesn't it?
0:27:49 > 0:27:50It's one of my old buses.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55But Benn turned his back on the city
0:27:55 > 0:27:57to focus on tours of the north coast.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02Now, he thinks that was a mistake -
0:28:02 > 0:28:04and that it's time for a comeback.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08The bottom line really is that I want to get my buses back and
0:28:08 > 0:28:10get back into the town here and make some money.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16But, to do that, he may have a fight on his hands.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20- We're the kings of this town, Alfie. - Yeah.
0:28:20 > 0:28:21Just for the record, Benn,
0:28:21 > 0:28:24don't even think about putting another bus company
0:28:24 > 0:28:25into the city centre.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Not a chance of it.
0:28:32 > 0:28:33What the...?
0:28:33 > 0:28:34What was that?
0:28:36 > 0:28:38What's that, your Chucky face?
0:28:40 > 0:28:42# Thought that I'd be happy
0:28:42 > 0:28:44# Going to be so happy
0:28:44 > 0:28:45# Living life alone
0:28:45 > 0:28:47# And never sharing anything
0:28:47 > 0:28:49# Thought that I was finished
0:28:49 > 0:28:51# Thought that I was complete
0:28:51 > 0:28:52# Thought that I was whole
0:28:52 > 0:28:54# Instead of being half of something... #