Tourism facts and figures

Tourists View of Belfast from Cavehill 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

The table below gives an overview of the number of visitors to Belfast and also how much they spent while in Belfast.

Number of visitors and visitor spend
Year Number of visitors Visitor spend
2009 9.3 million £451 million
2008 7.1 million £437 million
2007 6.9 million £313.3 million
2006 6.8 million £324.1 million
2005 6.4 million £285.2 million

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, Culture and Arts Development Unit
Belfast City Council
Cecil Ward Building
4-10 Linenhall Street
Belfast
BT2 8BP

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