Tourism facts and figures

Palm House in Botanic Gardens Belfast is now a popular short-break destination and one of Europe's top visitor destinations.

Major efforts have been made to revitalise, regenerate and renew the city's tourism offering.

As a city, Belfast is compact and intimate. Much of its rich legacy of Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian architecture remains intact and many buildings have been revitalised with contemporary design.

Business and conference location

In recent years, Belfast has established a reputation as one of the premier business and conference locations within Europe.

Venues such as the Belfast Waterfront, which has gained recognition as a world-leading conference and exhibition venue, plus the availability of premium hotel accommodation, has established Belfast's position as the preferred choice for many national and international events.

Tourism performance

2008

A record 7.1 million people visited Belfast in 2008, generating almost £437 million for the Belfast economy.

2007

In 2007, more than 6.9 million visitors came to Belfast, 1 million more than in 2004. Tourists injected £313.3 million into the local economy and helped to support over 17,230 full-time jobs. The city is also a popular destination for cruise ships with 31 vessels visiting the city in 2007, carrying over 38,000 passengers and crew.

Facts and figures booklets

The Belfast Tourism Facts and Figures booklets give an overview of tourism in Belfast. They provide a range of information including numbers of visitors, where they came from, how much they spent, what they spent their money on and why they came to Belfast. If you require any of these documents in an alternate format, please contact:

Tourism Development Unit
Belfast City Council
Cecil Ward Building
4-10 Linenhall Street
Belfast
BT2 8BP

Telephone: 028 9032 0202
Email: tourism@belfastcity.gov.uk