No Titanic Fan's observations (Write Back, December 14) were spot on, although he/she did miss the point slightly.

The Titanic was not the best ship of her era, if she was she wouldn't be at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

The point is that she is the most famous ship in the world.

People have been fascinated by her for almost 100 years. A floating palace which was called ‘unsinkable’, yet sank on her maiden voyage.

They want to find out more, they want to taste the luxury, they want to see the damage caused by the iceberg.

They want to come to Belfast to see where she was born, they want to walk her decks and feel what it would have been like that fateful night, without the danger.

No Titanic Fan rightly criticises Tourist Board-inspired investments such as Navan Fort and others that are struggling on the cusp of viability.

These attractions cater mostly for ‘home tourists’ and since Northern Ireland is quite small, once you have been you don't feel the need to go again.

A replica Titanic will attract tourists from all over the world, generation after generation, like the Giant's Causeway.

They will breath life into existing attractions and tourism will become vibrant and successful.

Shipwright

Lisburn