Fastest growing economy
Belfast is the capital city
of Northern Ireland
– the most successful
region in the UK (on a per
capita basis) at attracting
Foreign Direct Investment.
Lower labour costs
Labour costs are 15%
lower than the UK
average while labour
turnover is less than 8%.
Lower taxation
Corporation and personal
taxation are amongst the
lowest in Europe.
Gross Value Added (GVA)
GVA per capita in the city
increased by almost 50%
between 2000 and 2006
and currently stands at
£28,522.
Most competitive office rental rates
New, purpose-built and
fitted-out office space
costs are easily affordable,
with Belfast currently
maintaining the most
competitive rental
rates in the UK.
Broadband connections
Belfast will have full
access to next-generation
broadband by 2011.
Software development projects
Our city attracts the
largest number of
software development
projects in the UK outside
of London.
World-renowned research facilities
Our two universities
account for almost
60,000 students. Queen’s
University, Belfast is a member of the influential
Russell Group of
universities while 86%
of the University of
Ulster’s research activity
was judged to be of
international quality in the
2008 RAE assessment.
Increased air passengers
We have two airports
which were used by over
8 million people in 2008.
Port of Belfast
The Port of Belfast is
currently the second
largest port on
the island of Ireland,
handling almost 60% of
Northern Ireland's
seaborne trade and
20% of the entire island's
sea traffic.
More visitors
Belfast attracts a total of
7.1 million visitors each
year. The Lonely Planet
describes it as a 'City on
the Rise'.
Maritime history
Our city is rich in maritime
history. We hosted the
Tall Ships in 2009 and we're
planning a series of events
and developments in
2012 to commemorate
the centenary of the
launch of the Titanic which
was built at Harland and
Wolff shipyard in the city.