Tourism and hospitality operators in Belfast have enjoyed a bumper year, according to a report by the Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau (BVBC).

Overall, 5.9 million people travelled to the city during 2004 – an 11 per cent increase on 2003. Tourist spend during the year increased by 13 per cent as the number of holiday visitors grew to 235,000.

Business visits were up 14 per cent as Belfast hosted a number of high-profile conferences.

Ciaran Rogan, BVBC’s chair, said: “In 1999 we said we would grow tourism by 100 per cent within eight years and we have already achieved this in 2004.

On the back of this success, we will continue to press ahead and further support the enhancement of our tourism product and market the city successfully.”