At 43 meters tall, the Albert Clock, one of the most famous features of Belfast's skyline for 130 years, has just undergone major restoration costing nearly £2million.

After the end of 30 years of severe social unrest, tourism is expected to become a key industry in Northern Ireland, with the financial inflow filtering down to all levels of the community. It is here that the so called “peace dividend,” is expected to make its most obvious appearance, and with the benefits spread the most widely.

There is now a wealth of new hotels to choose from in Belfast. At the top of the line is the 195-room Laganside Hilton, which boasts excellent conference facilities, a fitness center and probably the friendliest staff in Northern Ireland. Its location is also right in the heart of Belfast’s business center, and just a stroll to the Royal Avenue shopping district.

At the same time, with the arrival of the newer flashy international chains, Belfast’s established hotels are being renovated and upgraded to compete. These include the elegant Fitzwilliam International at the International Airport, and Holiday Inn, the Duke’s, the Wellington Park, the McCauseland, and others - all boats rising with the incoming tourism tide.

But no list of Belfast hotels would be complete without mentioning the most famous hotel in Northern Ireland, and a favorite with visiting politicians, including Bill Clinton -- the elegant 240-room Europa, owned by the Hastings Group. Superbly situated on Victoria Street, at the start of Belfast's "Golden Mile," the Europa is located just across the street from the historic Victorian-era Crown Bar, and near to Belfast’s Grand Opera House.

The Northern Ireland Tourist Board’s amiable new boss, Alan Clarke, who took up the difficult tourism reins as chief executive just a year ago, following a number of years promoting tourism in Scotland and Wales, has had a difficult first year, especially after Sept 11th.

“We have lots of plans for tourism in Northern Ireland and I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think that there would be opportunities,” he adds. “There’s a great willingness to take things forward now, and by joining the Republic in a team effort, I’m convinced that we can promote the whole island of Ireland to the benefit of those north and south of the border.”

Belfast now boasts a score of new attractions, from the Odyssey Center and Laganside, to the coming of the exciting new Titanic Quarter. And with its bid to become Europe’s City of Culture, the city is now more vivid and alive than it has ever been. In fact, there are said to be a new restaurant opening every single week and a new hotel every few months.

But the tourism industry in several key provincial capitals such as Derry, Armagh, Newry and Antrim are in a fast-forward mode as well. Plans are afoot to add regional festivals to the marketing mix as well and there is also now a serious discussion on designating a site in County Down’s misty Mountains of Mourne as Northern Ireland’s first National Park.