Belfast City Council has established a series of regular networking events designed to nurture links between the city?s tourism and cultural industries. Cultural tourism became a Council priority in the city?s Culture and Arts Plan 2003-06 and last year the city hosted 5.3m visitors, boosting the local economy by £232m.
Olga Murtagh, Tourism Development Manager with Belfast City Council, said, ?Our cultural tourism strategy is about making it as easy as possible for residents and visitors in the city to enjoy the best of our culture and entertainment. We?re also working to ensure that both sectors can enjoy the economic benefits that result.? Recent events include the Festival of Fools, Belfast?s first international street theatre festival (pictured), BBC Music Live and the World Irish Dancing Championships, which attracted over 4,000 competitors and 12,500 visitors from all over the world.