Belfast Welcome Centre posts record visitor numbers

The first base for tourists in Belfast, the Welcome Centre in the city’s main thoroughfare is celebrating its first birthday.

The tourism flagship on Belfast’s Royal Avenue, is also celebrating that the state-of-the-art centre received almost a quarter of a million tourists since it opened a year ago.

Chairman of the Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau (BVCB), which runs the centre, on behalf of Belfast City Council, Ciaran Rogan, said the centre’s popularity had far exceeded their expectations.

Ciaran Rogan explains: “When the Welcome Centre opened its doors to the public last year, we said that our first year target was 170,000 visitors and we’ve surpassed that by more than 15,000 which is very encouraging for the future.”

Councillor Tom Hartley, Chairman of Belfast City Council’s Tourism and Promotion, said the figures are more impressive considering what has been a difficult year for tourism.

“We are absolutely delighted with the Welcome Centre’s performance in its first year and the figures are all the more impressive when you look at the events of last year.

“We all know that there is still a lot of hard work to do if we are to turn Belfast into one of Europe’s top tourist destinations, but our figures indicate that we are heading in the right direction.”

Terry Loughins, sponsorship manager for Guinness UDV, strategic partner of the BVCB, added: “As a major player in Belfast, Guinness UDV is delighted to be involved in the promotion of the city. We would like to think that we have played some part in the success of the Belfast Welcome Centre during its first year.”

The Belfast Welcome Centre is the flagship tourist information centre for Northern Ireland and provides an all-Ireland accommodation booking service, tickets for tours and events, left luggage facilities for visitors and souvenirs from across the province.

The BVCB is funded by Belfast City Council and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and sponsored by Guinness UDV. (AMcE)