0:00:02 > 0:00:03City tours, folks - hop on, hop off!
0:00:03 > 0:00:05Please stop harassing these women!
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Whenever I go home, all my family want me to do is to shut up.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13I do apologise, I am trying to speak to you,
0:00:13 > 0:00:15but this guy keeps interrupting.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19There's a gold rush on the streets of Belfast.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22That's our eighth bus that went out now - full, top and bottom.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Bring it on.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26I could sell snow to the Eskimo,
0:00:26 > 0:00:28sand to the Arabs
0:00:28 > 0:00:30and fries to us boys. No problem.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34My goodness, it's hard going today.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Lot of competition.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40Last year, well over two million people visited Northern Ireland.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44Well, I'm looking forward to seeing something about the Titanic.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Some wanted to see the sights.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52- It's a very impressive city, isn't it?- It's very impressive. Beautiful.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57Some came to soak up the TV stardust.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00That's the father's names.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04And some were returning to a place they haven't seen in a lifetime.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Oh, my goodness, I am home, aren't I?
0:01:08 > 0:01:12This is the inside story of a whole new industry -
0:01:12 > 0:01:14bus tours in Northern Ireland.
0:01:14 > 0:01:15THEY CHEER
0:01:15 > 0:01:17From the tourists who go there...
0:01:17 > 0:01:19I've been to some of the other wonders of the world.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22It definitely ranks right up there.
0:01:22 > 0:01:23It was fantastic.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27..to the parts of the business that they don't get to see.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31The way the tours are run in Belfast at the moment is, it's really a war.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35I'll drop the price a wee bit, and then the other companies all go mad.
0:01:35 > 0:01:36He just needs to rein it in a bit.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Welcome to Bus Wars.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54MUSIC: National Express by The Divine Comedy
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Northern Ireland's north coast.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01This beautiful scenery now attracts tourists from all around the world.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04# Take the National Express... #
0:02:04 > 0:02:07And when they come here, somebody has to show them around.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09# It'll make you smile... #
0:02:09 > 0:02:10Did we eat all the biscuits?
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Right, more biscuits. Back in a moment.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Benn Allen has been running bus tours in Northern Ireland
0:02:19 > 0:02:20for nearly a decade.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22What would you describe yourself as?
0:02:23 > 0:02:25An entrepreneur.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27That's a good way of putting it.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31He works on a tight budget.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Probably costs about £400 for that. We've got them sitting to hand.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Probably cost us about £3.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39He will go to a scrapyard
0:02:39 > 0:02:42and come home with stuff that we would look at,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45like normal people would look at, like they wasn't in the bus industry
0:02:45 > 0:02:47and be like, "What is that? That's rubbish?"
0:02:47 > 0:02:50We're looking for a manual six-beam Volvo gearbox.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54That's automatic.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57That's one of my old buses.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Just sitting, ready for the scrap!
0:03:04 > 0:03:05This one got past us.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Oh, I see a cat's been living on it there for a while. See that?
0:03:10 > 0:03:13To him, everything's valuable, and he finds a use for all,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15like, wee smallest parts, you know?
0:03:15 > 0:03:16But, yeah, he really loves his buses.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18I don't know why, but he does!
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Just, have you checked in, yeah?
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Oh, yes, yes, you're going on the minibus. That's no problem, OK.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31We've overbooked.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Some people have booked online, while we were asleep last night,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37so when we came in this morning we've technically no room for them,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41so I might have to put an extra vehicle on just to facilitate them.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45'Although I'm using other vehicles,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48'the vehicles I'm using are actually like the Rolls-Royce of coaches.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52By the time they've sat on it for half an hour, they realise
0:03:52 > 0:03:55this thing's not going to pack in or everything, they're grand.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Afternoon.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00I've only got a few seats left, so I'm going to go down and fill them,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04then you're going to fill up, and then Richard's going to take anything that's left.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07'My mission is to be the biggest and best tour company in Belfast.'
0:04:07 > 0:04:11By running it cheaper, by running it free, by doing a better service.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Whatever it takes along those lines.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Just go... See if you go into the hostel there across the road?
0:04:17 > 0:04:20There's a wee office around on the right...
0:04:20 > 0:04:22But Benn has serious competition.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25What happened?
0:04:25 > 0:04:28He was supposed to be on the other company that operates from across the road.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30So he got on the wrong bus.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35McComb's Luxury Coach Tours are amongst his arch-rivals.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Don't worry, I'm taking those ones out.
0:04:39 > 0:04:44Benn has been at loggerheads with husband-and-wife team Caroline and Rodney McComb for years.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48'The police had to be called quite a lot,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51'and it was becoming a constant thorn in our side,
0:04:51 > 0:04:53'the things that he done.'
0:04:53 > 0:04:56It ended up, we had to take civil action against him.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00We spent £30,000.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02I have to say, it's been worth every penny.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Benn sees it differently.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Well, the reason we fell out was because I used to work for them
0:05:10 > 0:05:13and then I set up in competition against them.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17I felt that I could do things better than the way they were doing it.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24McComb's have been in the coach tour business for 20 years.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26They see themselves as the best of the best.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Everything for us is about quality.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33It's just all about making everything
0:05:33 > 0:05:34a bit higher-end, you know?
0:05:37 > 0:05:39We've got a water dispenser here.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41We've got a wee WC here.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43We've got the wee fridges here, as well,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46and, you know, we've got our branded McComb's water, as well.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50I think this is as close to five-star as it gets, yeah?
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Right up in front of us, the mountain stacks...
0:05:53 > 0:05:56And this is why the tourists come -
0:05:56 > 0:05:58the world-famous Causeway Coast.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Bus-tour heaven.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04Ireland is beautiful, the Irish people are very pleasant, courteous,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07and gentle. That is what I have liked about Ireland.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13This summer, McComb's Luxury Coaches will once again battle it out
0:06:13 > 0:06:14with Benn's budget bus tours.
0:06:14 > 0:06:1625 minutes.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Behind the scenes, there'll be no mercy.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31Back in the city, there's a different battle getting under way.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32It's early summer,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36and the ticket-sellers for open-top bus tours
0:06:36 > 0:06:38are setting out their stall.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Expecting a very busy day, hopefully.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42There's a cruise ship coming in,
0:06:42 > 0:06:43there's, like, 3,000 passengers on it,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46so it's going to be busy enough, and hopefully the sun comes out.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54The Caribbean Princess is the first big cruise ship of the season
0:06:54 > 0:06:56to dock in Belfast.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00The boss of City Sightseeing Belfast, George Grimley,
0:07:00 > 0:07:01is briefing his team.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06The code of conduct that we adhere to, again, just a reminder -
0:07:06 > 0:07:08good behaviour at all time.
0:07:08 > 0:07:13You're here to give information as much as sell tickets as well.
0:07:13 > 0:07:14So help the people...
0:07:14 > 0:07:16City Sightseeing Tours is an international brand
0:07:16 > 0:07:19that operates in cities across the world.
0:07:20 > 0:07:25We have a fairly small window of opportunity
0:07:25 > 0:07:27to make our money during the summer.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31And business is booming.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Every summer, Belfast now welcomes
0:07:36 > 0:07:40scores of cruise ships full of tourists with cash to spend.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44We are a group of people from all over the world.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46- Hi!- Some of them from Boston,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49some from LA, some from Santiago.
0:07:49 > 0:07:55And then some from Taiwan, some from Brazil, some from Canada.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58We have a group of 66.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01The Causeway tour companies, including McComb's,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03are on their way up the coast.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06But plenty of tourists just want to see Belfast.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Can't wait to see Belfast and do some shopping.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Get some things there, yeah?
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Yeah, she wants to spend my American money here!
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Music to the ears of City Sightseeing's ticket sellers.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31But, today, they won't have things all their own way.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33There's a competitor in town.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Cruise ship's in. Happy days, job's easy!
0:08:36 > 0:08:41We are sales representatives of Titanic & City Tour of Belfast.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46There's that many people about, you don't have to ask them,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49they tap you on the shoulder and say, "Where does the bus leave?"
0:08:49 > 0:08:51So you're up and down, like there,
0:08:51 > 0:08:56three guys walking down the street already, so happy days!
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Owen makes me laugh every day I come into work.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02I just like to see his big, chuckling face every morning!
0:09:05 > 0:09:07This is the best job in the world, huh?
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Do youse want to do a wee sightseeing tour, girls?
0:09:11 > 0:09:13I'm not sure, can we have a map and have a look?
0:09:13 > 0:09:18For tourists, telling the difference between the two companies
0:09:18 > 0:09:20is almost impossible. Both wear red.
0:09:20 > 0:09:21They're the same.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25It's all one company.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Black's been tried, yellow's been tried, blue's been tried,
0:09:29 > 0:09:30green's been tried. Doesn't work.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35The only colour that is recognised around the world for bus tours is red.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37'They own the City Sightseeing franchise -
0:09:37 > 0:09:39'they don't own the colour red.'
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Global monster, local company.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45This one will take you to Stormont, that one to Belfast Castle.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- Terrible.- But as I say, both leave from the exact same place.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Please stop harassing these women! You're on camera!
0:09:52 > 0:09:54LAUGHTER
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Sightseeing, guys? Hop on, hop off. City tour.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01'We will be selling our tour, they will be selling their tour,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03'and it's a lot of information for the tourists to take in.'
0:10:03 > 0:10:06So, the tourists will be confused,
0:10:06 > 0:10:08and sometimes they will walk away.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Other tourists will come,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12we'll do the exact same and they have a laugh with you.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Because they like the arguing.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17- Sightseeing tour.- Hop on.
0:10:18 > 0:10:19- Have youse tickets?- No.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Have a wee read over that, madam.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24- They're all the same, right? - No, they're not the same.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26If you wanted to do the bus tour,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28I would give you a few pounds off it, so I would.
0:10:28 > 0:10:29If you wanted to do it.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Owen prides himself on selling more tickets
0:10:32 > 0:10:33than anyone else on the street,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36whether it's the opposition or his own colleagues.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Also, we can get you a discount going into the Titanic museum.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41I could sell snow to the Eskimo,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43sand to the Arabs.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45And fries to us boys. No problem.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49Very good!
0:10:52 > 0:10:54When the weather is good and the season's in,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56the pressure's on you big time.
0:10:56 > 0:10:57Yeah? Come with me, guys.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59'You've got to keep your numbers up.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01'You've got to keep going in the summertime.'
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Because you have to build a nest egg for when winter comes.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07- You do.- Like a wee squirrel.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09- Thanks very much.- Hiding your nuts.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15And this is what it's all about -
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Belfast from the top of a bus.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Going up to the moon. OK, well done.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22So, the Harry Potter building...
0:11:22 > 0:11:25From here, it's over to the tour guides.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29- First of all, I'll tell you, I'm 51. - Wow.- All right?
0:11:30 > 0:11:32LAUGHTER
0:11:34 > 0:11:35We didn't even get a photo.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Well, you see, you should have been quick.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40- Encore, encore! - All right, give me a second.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Get that leg up. Whoo!
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Most visitors to Belfast come from other parts of the UK.
0:11:48 > 0:11:49Zoe and Natasha are here
0:11:49 > 0:11:52because they found last-minute cheap flights.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54It's their first time in Northern Ireland.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58I do want to learn about the culture.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59I think it's so interesting.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02I love the Irish people as well. They're so laid-back and chilled.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04Then they've got that side to them
0:12:04 > 0:12:07where you wouldn't mess with them as well. So, I like the...
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Yeah, the Irish people are so cool.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11And they just want to get a bevvy, so it's like...
0:12:11 > 0:12:12That's what we're here for.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16By the way, if you're wondering
0:12:16 > 0:12:18what the H and the W means at the very top,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20that means hello and welcome to Belfast.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22It also means Harry and William.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Can you remember Harry and William? Who are they?
0:12:24 > 0:12:26- BOTH:- Princes. - That's right. Well done.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27- Yes!- We're so smart.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31So, many people believe that these two cranes are named after them two as well.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34We were so the only ones that got that answer right.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Botanic Gardens and the University on the left.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40An absolutely stunningly beautiful building...
0:12:40 > 0:12:44Being a really good tour guide isn't as easy as it looks.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46My name's Brian English.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49I've been a tour guide now for about eight years.
0:12:49 > 0:12:50- Need a map?- We have a map.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53You have a map? Are youse doing the Titanic Experience?
0:12:53 > 0:12:57'I love the job. It's never felt like work to me. In fact, the very first week I did it'
0:12:57 > 0:13:00it dawned on me that I was doing something I loved,
0:13:00 > 0:13:01I was getting to talk about it,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05'give, in many cases, my opinion or my take on it,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08'and I was getting paid for it at the end of it.'
0:13:08 > 0:13:11The easiest way to remember the Belfast accent
0:13:11 > 0:13:12is they change their vowels.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14The vowel O becomes the vowel A.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16So stop is stap.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19- Shop is shap.- OK!
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Mop is map. OK?
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Whenever I go home, all my family want me to do is to shut up.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30"Please, please, don't tell us anything about Belfast."
0:13:30 > 0:13:32And the As become Es as well.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- So a flag is a fleg.- Ah!
0:13:35 > 0:13:36But we don't talk about flags.
0:13:39 > 0:13:44An older crowd, they're usually interested in the history of Northern Ireland,
0:13:44 > 0:13:46the history of Ireland, politics.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49West Belfast, it's the Falls and the Shankill.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51The names that they've heard of throughout their lives.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56The trouble, the trouble zone or something like that?
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Yeah, that's of interest to us.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00That wall, we were talking about the wall.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02The peace wall, the peace wall.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04This wall would have started life
0:14:04 > 0:14:07as a series of burned-out double-decker buses,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11dividing Catholic and Protestant parts of streets.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15'They've grown up with hearing about Northern Ireland on the news.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18'They've never, ever thought of coming
0:14:18 > 0:14:20'because it was too dangerous.'
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Now they've got the opportunity and they're wanting to come.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27You might be able to see, hanging off the lamp post, a "fleg".
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Once we get past the traffic lights...
0:14:29 > 0:14:32This is the Catholic, yeah, this is the...
0:14:32 > 0:14:35They call it Republican Belfast.
0:14:35 > 0:14:36Look at the fencing as well.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39- This is the largest peace wall we have.- It's like a prison.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42It runs for nearly three miles.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45I still dinnae understand why they're still all got the flags,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48- kind of like hanging frae the lamp posts.- Tradition.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Coming up on the left now
0:14:51 > 0:14:56is a paramilitary mural where the gunmen are not wearing masks.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58That usually means one thing -
0:14:58 > 0:15:02the characters depicted on that mural are all already dead.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15Zoe and Natasha are also getting a history lesson.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Check out the building on your left-hand side now.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21It belongs to Queens University. It just recently opened.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- It's a brand-new building. And what's it made of?- Glass.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27Glass, there you go. What does that say about...
0:15:27 > 0:15:29- There's no bombs.- Very much, that's it, no more bombs.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31And no more shooting on our streets.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Oh, he's so cute!
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Belfast people are so nice.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41I would say the people are so nice and friendly,
0:15:41 > 0:15:43and the weather's been obviously amazing.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45People are so helpful.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Except from that one guy that wouldn't let us on his bike,
0:15:48 > 0:15:49but apart from him...
0:15:54 > 0:15:57With plenty of tourists out and about today,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00Benn Allen reckons it's a good time to hustle for business.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03- All right?- Benn, how are you? - How's you?
0:16:03 > 0:16:05- How's business?- Great. How about you?- I'm not doing too bad.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08We're doing a cruise ship here, and I'm sorting it all out.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13Benn's attitude towards running a company - he's smart in some ways,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17but, in other ways, he just needs to rein it in a bit.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19I'll take you over to the bus here now, if you want.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Come on ahead. Just follow me here.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Today, Benn is trying to lure tourists away
0:16:25 > 0:16:28from the open-top bus companies
0:16:28 > 0:16:31and onto his coach for a tour of the causeway.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Yeah, come on ahead.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38And to do that, he has a secret weapon.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Welcome to Belfast. Welcome.
0:16:41 > 0:16:42Meet Chi Wa.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Welcome to Belfast, folks. Where you guys from?
0:16:47 > 0:16:50First impressions count, you know?
0:16:50 > 0:16:55- The Giant's Causeway?- Well, we're talking about maybe 20 yards.
0:16:55 > 0:16:5720 yards, from here to the bus.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59- 20 hours?- 20 yards.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01One yard, this size. Two yard, this size.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03- HE SPEAKS IN CHINESE - Sorry, I didn't catch your words.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Probably better with Chinese, no?
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Are you more comfortable with English?
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Chi Wa has been working for Benn Allen for nine years.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13I first met him, believe it or not,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17at an arcade machine establishment
0:17:17 > 0:17:18about 20...
0:17:18 > 0:17:1923 years ago.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21How long have you been in Belfast?
0:17:21 > 0:17:25- Born and bred in Newtownards, believe it or not.- Really?- In '76.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27And then I moved to Belfast in '81.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30- Yeah?- And I've been here ever since.
0:17:30 > 0:17:31Chi's a bit of a character.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33He's very well-known across Northern Ireland.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35He's almost a landmark.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37OK, I'll see you in a minute.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41- Keep an eye on the clock. - Yeah.- Time flies, OK?
0:17:41 > 0:17:42He's a bit like Marmite, as well.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44People seem to either love him or hate him.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47There's no in-between.
0:17:47 > 0:17:48But... Where's he gone?
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Ah, no, he's still there.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55If you give me the ten back, I'll give you four.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56Four little coins.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59- Four little coins? - Four little gold coins, now.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02Chi Wa has done his job.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Benn is off to the causeway with a full bus.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Just before we leave, has everybody got everybody with them?
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Nobody's left their husband or their wife or anything like that behind?
0:18:12 > 0:18:14No? Everybody here that wants to be here? Good, good.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Benn's biggest rivals, McComb's Luxury Coaches,
0:18:21 > 0:18:25are already up on the coast with a bus-load of eager tourists.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Me, my mum, my brother, my grandparents, three generations,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33we just want to see where we're from, I guess.
0:18:33 > 0:18:34Our ancestry.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Megan and her family have travelled from Canada.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45I'm mostly looking forward to all the scenery.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47You see all the postcards and everything for Ireland
0:18:47 > 0:18:49and I want to see that part of it.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52I've been wanting to do this my whole life,
0:18:52 > 0:18:54so it's great coming over.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57It's been a dream of mine, and my brother's as well.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59We've heard about all of the places.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03My mum and dad cycling up to youth hostels all the time,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05up to Giant's Causeway.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07What is it, Dad? Portrush?
0:19:07 > 0:19:09- It used to be a youth hostel.- Yeah.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13We can now actually put a place to all the stories.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15We've heard about it, now it just feels like...
0:19:15 > 0:19:16I feel like we've been here,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18although we've never been here before, you know?
0:19:21 > 0:19:26Jim hasn't seen the North Antrim coast in over 50 years.
0:19:31 > 0:19:36And back in the city, Joan is also reliving her childhood.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39She, too, left Northern Ireland a long time ago
0:19:39 > 0:19:41for a new life in Canada.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45I was eight years old when I went to Canada.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47I've never been back until now,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49and I'm 68 years old.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Long time!
0:19:57 > 0:20:00She's here with her nieces to research their family history.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05You kind of figure out, where do I come from, who am I,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07what am I passing on to my kids?
0:20:07 > 0:20:09- You've got to know what your background is.- Yeah.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11You want to know your heritage.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- I think that's important, too.- Yeah.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19We don't know our grandfather's family at all.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21We have no idea yet.
0:20:21 > 0:20:22We just have names.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28- It's all the way to the... - Look at the ceiling.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31- All the way round.- They're hoping some of the answers lie here,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34in the records of this Belfast church.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37What a beautiful church for it to be so old.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42For Joan, this is a journey into her own distant past.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Getting off the plane, as soon as you hit the airport,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48the guy took my passport,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51he says, "Ach, hello, how are ye this morning?" I went...
0:20:51 > 0:20:53SHE INHALES
0:20:53 > 0:20:56That was that feeling that, "Oh, my goodness, I am home, aren't I?"
0:20:56 > 0:20:59To hear the voice. It was unbelievable.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03And here they are, the family records.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05The marriage did take place here.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08- 1906?- 1906, December.
0:21:08 > 0:21:09Yes, that's great.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Up on the coast, Benn and his coachload of tourists
0:21:14 > 0:21:15have plenty to see.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24There's a small tunnel. Through the tunnel.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26OK, so it's one kilometre.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Yes, that's an Irish kilometre, so it feels like about six miles.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32We thought it was awesome.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35I've been to some of the other wonders of the world.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38It definitely ranks right up there. It was fantastic.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44A few miles away, Megan is getting ready for a challenge.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47I have heard about the rope bridge.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49I'm afraid of heights!
0:21:49 > 0:21:51But I think I'm going to try to do it anyways.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54I know my grandparents have both been across it multiple times.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56So, if they can do it, I can do it.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge is suspended 100 feet above the sea.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07I forgot I had to come back.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09I forgot I had to come back!
0:22:14 > 0:22:16Brendan, are you shaking it?
0:22:16 > 0:22:17You aren't even shaking it.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22SHE SHUDDERS AND LAUGHS
0:22:24 > 0:22:25Wobbly.
0:22:29 > 0:22:30Yes!
0:22:34 > 0:22:36You made it.
0:22:36 > 0:22:37Mum did better than I did.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44Back in Belfast, Alfie and Owen are winding down for the day.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Time for a bit of fun.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48No bicycles on the footpath, please.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Not on the footpath. We'll have to put your name in the book.
0:22:51 > 0:22:56- £50 fine.- Yes. Could I have your name, please?
0:22:56 > 0:22:58I know you're not from this country, but the rule is no warnings.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00We saw nothing...
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Because we hide the signs.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05We hide them, we don't let you see them, so we can book you.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07So we can fine you then.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09You are joking!
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Oh, today was, my goodness, it was hard going today,
0:23:21 > 0:23:22a lot of competition.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24But it's all a learning experience.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28I thank God we got a lovely day, which is half the battle, you know?
0:23:30 > 0:23:34The Caribbean Princess is getting ready to leave port.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Today was fantastic.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40It was beautiful. We finally got to see the country of Ireland.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42All of our other stops, we just got to see the city
0:23:42 > 0:23:44and we wanted to see the greenery.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Once you hit maybe 150 people on a cruise-ship day
0:23:49 > 0:23:52you're starting to make money, anything after that's a profit.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56And we've probably done maybe 250-300 people today,
0:23:56 > 0:23:57which is a good day.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Everything went well. The customers seemed to be really, really happy,
0:24:02 > 0:24:04and they're all safely back on their ship now,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08probably sipping pina coladas or something like that by now.
0:24:08 > 0:24:09And... Great.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13For the tourist industry, it's been a good day.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17I don't take it home. It stays in work, you know?
0:24:17 > 0:24:21I go home, have a nice something to eat, have a nice beer... Lobster.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Lobster, crab, octopus -
0:24:24 > 0:24:27I have it all, that's how I relax, you know.
0:24:28 > 0:24:29Ah, God.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Oh, yeah, there's a cracker.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Benn won't rest until he's the bus king of Belfast.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48The way the tours are run in Belfast at the moment is it's really a war.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50I'll add a wee bit extra into a tour,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53drop the price a wee bit and the other all companies all go mad.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56You know, "Benn's destroying it for us all, you know,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58"we could all be making a fortune here,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01"but Benn's doing these things for half price. What's that all about?"
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Just like to see plenty of people on the buses, you know,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06enjoying themselves, getting a bargain.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Meanwhile, his old rivals
0:25:08 > 0:25:12are throwing a party to make a big announcement.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14Ach, that is gorgeous.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16I'll put it up here.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19We've got the people we wanted here.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22We're just having a ball now, yeah.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24We never stop scheming and planning.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26I know, you're brilliant.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28This is the key, this is the key.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32We have actually committed to what is now going to be,
0:25:32 > 0:25:36you'll see on the board here, Belfast Tour Centre.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39We will be starting, from this Wednesday,
0:25:39 > 0:25:44tours of Belfast three times a day, every day, so it is...
0:25:44 > 0:25:46CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:25:48 > 0:25:52But they're not the only ones with some exciting news.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Dennis, what have you got for me?
0:25:57 > 0:26:01- You found three in total? - No way!- What?
0:26:01 > 0:26:02- William...- Yeah.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04John Crooks Garrett, yes?
0:26:06 > 0:26:08May the 30th, '09.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10- '09!- Oh, my God.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12OK. And...
0:26:13 > 0:26:17The pieces of the family puzzle are falling into place.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21That's the father's names.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24- The father here is James Breakey Garratt.- OK.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28We always thought his son was James Breakey.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Tanya has a new sense of where she's come from.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38After this trip I feel more passionate about Northern Ireland,
0:26:38 > 0:26:42and I feel passionate and loyal to that history, so... Yeah.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46I'm pretty loyal to Belfast, because I never did change my status.
0:26:46 > 0:26:47I'm still a British subject.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50I never took out Canadian citizenship.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Even though I've been there since I was eight years old,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55I'm still a British subject.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59- So...- Yeah.- I love my country.
0:26:59 > 0:27:00I love where I came from.
0:27:02 > 0:27:03And I will keep it.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09# Going to be a bright, sunshiney day... #
0:27:09 > 0:27:15Last year, nearly 2.5 million people visited Northern Ireland.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Many of them took a bus tour.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22I want to tell you just how fantastic this was.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25- Oh, good. - See you, I had a great time.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27City tours? City tours today.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32On the streets there were highs, lows and bitter rivalries,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36but from the top of a tour bus it all looked peaceful.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37See, I like Belfast because...
0:27:39 > 0:27:41..it's nice and relaxed.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43It's a cracking view from the right of the bus.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46A cracking, cracking view.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49- I'm not taking any picture. - No, my hands are frozen.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51- Working hard. - Aye, working hard, what's this?
0:27:51 > 0:27:55Some of the companies who have been fighting for the last ten years
0:27:55 > 0:27:57have actually ended up doing something good,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00by putting so much effort, individually,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02in to looking after the tourists
0:28:02 > 0:28:06that it's actually transpired into what we can see today.
0:28:06 > 0:28:07We've definitely done something good.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11And tomorrow they'll do it all again.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Right, is that it? Let's rock and roll.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21- People'll be thinking I'm away to a bar.- I know.
0:28:21 > 0:28:22# Now, the pain is gone
0:28:25 > 0:28:30# And all of the bad feelings have disappeared
0:28:31 > 0:28:35# I can see clearly now the rain is gone
0:28:37 > 0:28:39- # It's gonna be a bright - Bright
0:28:39 > 0:28:40# Sunshiney day. #