New Visit Belfast Welcome Centre Opens

Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Arlene Foster has officially opened the new Visit Belfast Welcome Centre, at the former Northern Bank in Donegall Square North.

Arlene Foster MLA

Speaking at the official opening of the newly relocated and refurbished £1.82 million centre Arlene Foster said: "Visit Belfast’s new visitors' centre is a state-of-the-art tourist hub and it is situated in a great location. The new facility will help generate higher footfall and it will be the first point of call for hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city. This in turn will create additional direct and indirect spending opportunities in Belfast and it also provides a further boost to tourism here.

"It was important that we invested in the hands on, customer service element of the visitors’ experience of Belfast and the support that has been provided reflects the importance we place on ensuring that visitors to our city get the best possible information for a great experience."

The centre embraces the latest tourism technologies to provide a new and innovative one-stop 'visitor magnet' for Belfast and Northern Ireland. At the click of a button visitors and locals alike can access multimedia information screens and self-service kiosks, book tickets, view maps and check what’s on.

The Visit Belfast Welcome Centre also features unique 'made in Belfast' products, giving local businesses valuable opportunities to showcase their goods. The project was part financed through the European Regional Development Fund, administered by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, with a grant of £747,000. In addition, Belfast City Council has contributed £1,094,593.

(CD/MH)