Belfast saw one of its busiest Julys on record, according to figures from the Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau (BVCB).

During the month of July alone, the Belfast Welcome Centre welcomed 34,086 visitors through its doors, an increase of 26% on July last year.

Other figures also revealed that the number of counter enquiries during the month rose by 19% to 23,172, while total enquiries jumped by 19% to 28,217.

Belfast City Airport figures also show a 10% increase in visitors coming into Belfast over the July holiday period while hotels in the city experienced up to 20% growth in occupancy rates last month.

This good news comes on the back of the BVCB’s recent 2002 figures announcement when it was revealed that 3.6 million visitors travelled to Belfast in 2002.

BVCB Chief Executive Gerry Lennon said: "This year, there certainly seems to have been a very positive atmosphere around the city.

“Indeed, we welcomed a number of conferences and cruise ships to Belfast in July which reflects the growing confidence in the city at this time.

"It also looks like we’re now starting to reap the benefits of glowing reviews that the city has received, on popular travel programmes such as BBC’s 'Holiday Programme' and ITV’s 'Wish You Were Here' as well as UK and international press."

In July, Belfast played host to five association conferences bringing in 1,000 delegates and welcomed four cruise ships bringing a further 4,000 visitors to the city.

Now, year to date figures show that 2003 is looking better already with Welcome Centre visitor numbers up 9% to 123,976, counter enquiries up 4% to 100,575 and total enquiries (made by phone, e-mail, fax, or at the counter) jumping to 165,574, a rise of 8% on last year.

(MB)