Core Cities
Belfast
Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland and driver of the region’s economy, is a city full of ambition, optimism, and above all, energy. We’ve got youth on our side, with 43% of our 340,220 population under 30 years old.
Once a Victorian industrial powerhouse, famed for ship-building, linen and ropemaking, we’re now one of Europe’s most digitally connected cities and the second fastest growing knowledge economy in the UK. Our particular strengths are in the creative and digital sectors, financial and professional services, technology and advanced engineering and manufacturing.
Belfast is ideally situated between mainland Europe and the US, and well connected by road, rail, air and sea. London is just 60 minutes away by air and Dublin 90 minutes by road or rail.
We’re well on our way to securing £2 billion regeneration and commercial property development. The Belfast Agenda, the city’s first community plan, sets out bold ambitions for further inclusive growth in the city by 2035; to increase our population by at least 66,000 people and for our economy to support an additional 46,000 jobs.
Tourism is centre stage in our transformation – it now supports over 18,000 jobs and generates over £328m spend. We’re home to Titanic Belfast, the world’s biggest Titanic experience, voted the World’s Best Visitor attraction in 2016. In 2018, Lonely Planet dubbed us the number one Region to visit.
We offer a skilled and talented employee pool, outstanding educational institutions, a dynamic start up scene, and a quality of life that’s hard to beat – in fact, we’re ranked third in mid-sized and small cities for human capital and lifestyle.