ust over 20 years on from the Good Friday Agreement , tourism has been the economic peace dividend for Belfast . Business events in particular have gone from strength to strength , delivering over £ 440m to Belfast and Northern Ireland over the last 20 years . VisitBelfast , along with funders Tourism Northern Ireland , Belfast City Council , and over 500 private sector partners , have been winning new business for the city worth on average £ 45m in economic impact in the last five years .

Investment in world-class attractions and experiences , concerted marketing efforts and a sector-led strategic approach has resulted in an unprecedented number of MICE visitors to the region and has secured vital mid-week , year-round , business for the city and region . Over £ 250m has been invested in hotel infrastructure in the past two years creating additional capacity which now stands at over 10,000 bedspaces to satisfy the growing demand for the now £ 1bn tourism industry in Northern Ireland .

From hosting world leaders at the G8 Summit to some of the most prestigious global corporate and association conferences , Belfast has become a renowned conference destination in key sectors within financial , business

and professional services , advanced engineering and manufacturing , technology , life and health sciences , legal services and the green economy .

For a small city , it is home to over 1,100 major international companies , two world-class universities and a thriving eco system of start-ups and entrepreneurs . Belfast also has one of the fastest growing knowledge economies in the world and all of this combined , makes for an attractive and successful business events destination .

Our commitment to growing large scale conferences and exhibitions was cemented in recent years with the £ 30m extension of ICC Belfast offering 7,000sqm of flexible event space in the heart of the city and has been instrumental in the city ’ s

vision of creating and delivering a legacy of economic , social and cultural change through business events .

Not only has the region been forging ahead in the successful attraction and delivery of national , European and international business events , but it has been winning prestigious awards such as Lonely Planet ’ s ‘ Best region in the world ’ to visit , Best Business friendly small city in the world by FDI Intelligence ( FT ), the happiest place in the UK by Lloyds Bank happiness index , National Geographic ’ s ‘ Rising star of Tourism ’ and ‘ Top 10 Global City of the future ’ by the Financial Times FDI Magazine .

It is said that when a conference comes to Belfast , everyone knows about it , from the taxi drivers to the Lord Mayor . Northern Ireland is the perfect

" It is said that when a conference comes to Belfast , everyone knows about it , from the taxi drivers to the Lord Mayor ."

backdrop for events , offering stunning landscapes , spectacular countryside , coast and castles , just minutes from the capital .

Looking forward , the region is looking positively ahead to the road to recovery , taking a sustainable and resilient approach to growth , legacy and impact . Northern Ireland ’ s tourism industry has signed up to a ‘ We are good to go ’ UK-wide charter and has joined the GDS Sustainability movement . The region is continuing to support events through its flexible ‘ Team Belfast ’ approach underpinned by the conference subvention scheme and the adoption of hybrid as standard .