A MUSEUM housing a permanent Titanic exhibition in Belfast, where the ship was built, is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern Ireland.

Fiona Ure of Belfast Visitor Bureau said: "Certainly the museum is one of our most popular attractions. It draws in visitors from all over the world.

"This news from Southampton doesn't surprise us - there is a huge amount of interest surrounding Titanic. There is definitely a wide audience out there."

Alan Gallop, communications manager at Tourism South East, believes plans for a Titanic museum in Southampton have more than enough Wow factor.

He said: "I think it's a superb idea.

"Southampton and all of this part of the country has a strong maritime heritage. It's very important that we acknowledge that.

"Personally, I think Southampton already has plenty of Wow factor but this would be 'double wow'. It would be a great success because it is suitable for people coming at any time of the year. It would be wonderful for Southampton."

Neither the £5m price tag nor the predicted figure of 100,000 visitors each year surprised Mr Gallop.

The most popular paid-for visitor attractions in the area include Paultons Park, netting 550,000 visitors each year, and Royal Victoria County Park in Netley Abbey, which attracts 380,000 visitors annually.

"I think a Titanic museum would be on a par with these attractions," said Mr Gallop.

"There is no reason why it couldn't feature in the top ten tourist attractions in the south-east within the first year.

"£5m is a large sum of money.

"I think it can be justified, though, and the outcome would be worthwhile in terms of bringing tourists to the area."