Introduction

As the capital city of Northern Ireland, Belfast enjoyed over a decade of sustained investment and rapid economic growth before the recent global economic downturn.

The city enjoyed a period of unprecedented investment and physical regeneration in recent years and is now recognised as a successful, peaceful and dynamic European city.

Belfast is still a rapidly changing city. In 2009 there was over £500 million worth of developments unveiled, including a number of landmark buildings opening their doors to the public again following extensive refurbishments.

The city was also boosted by the visit of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge in 2009. Belfast was the finishing port for the ships which had just completed a journey of over 7,000 nautical miles. An estimated 800,000 people crowded to the docks over a four day period to witness the biggest event ever staged on the island of Ireland.

The future

Belfast can look forward to several key large scale developments in the coming years. This includes the £1 billion redevelopment of an area known as Titanic Quarter at the city’s former shipyards, which is now underway.

Meanwhile, a thriving social and cultural life is attracting growing numbers of visitors to Belfast from across the world. In 2008, there were 7.1 million visitors to the city, which represents an increase of 21.1% since 2003.