More people visiting Belfast

3 July 2009 -

The number of people choosing to hop on a plane or boat to Northern Ireland is booming, with the strength of the euro against the pound helping the country.

More people are crossing the border from the Republic of Ireland to experience Belfast's sights and sounds, with a quarter of these staying overnight.

The number of visitors to the area in the last year rose by three per cent, with the number of people taking day trips to Northern Ireland increasing by 143 per cent.

William Humphrey, chairman of Belfast City Council's development committee, said: "This growth can be largely attributed to the growing number of visitors from the Republic of Ireland, many of them taking advantage of the strength of the Euro against sterling, especially in the run up to last Christmas."

More people were also spending on hotels and eating out, which accounted for more than half of tourism spending.

The figures from the Belfast Tourism Monitor also showed that over two-thirds of people who visited Northern Ireland last year did so for the first time.

A new £10 million dock facility in Belfast is also expected to boost tourism to the region from cruise ships.