Tourism, Transport, and the Trouble with the Belfast Riots
By Katie McShane
On the morning following the Belfast riots, I shared my train carriage with a young American family when a passenger alarm went off, a regular occurrence on any average Translink voyage. A Denver accent asked me if ‘is everything alright?’, I affirmed it was, I was told that ‘that means shooter over in the states’, I assured them they wouldn’t get anything like that over here. As the words came out of my mouth, I thought of the news footage and helicopter cams I watched over dinner the previous evening, how rioting filled our streets, and innocent people were burned out of their houses. Despite its history, I didn’t recognise the city, and for the first time I realised the image that was now being broadcast worldwide.
As the flame behind the troubles simmered and the Good Friday agreement negotiated, Belfast entered a period of remarketing. Its walls, murals, and places of contention are now promoted as tourist destinations. 2025 saw over half a million tourists visit the city, more than 50% of them for leisure [1]. But this isn’t a surprise, a history so unique, rich culture, and friendly people makes a tourism destination on many a bucket list. Belfast was only the third UK city to be named one of UNESCO’s ‘City of Music’, just another testament to the cities shining qualities. It is these such qualities that bring so many people to enjoy the city, and fuel so many jobs and businesses in Belfast’s thriving tourism industry.
It is a mixture of fear and embarrassment to see a promising city be reduced to violence and racism on televisions around the world. Scenes of arson attacks, masked youths throwing projectiles, and riot police at work filled living rooms across Ireland and the UK, over the ocean to the US, and even to screens in Australia and beyond. I (among others) have been receiving concern from family and friends outside Northern Ireland. It is difficult enough to convince them that Belfast is safe; how can the city convince the world?
It wasn’t solely the reputation of the city that was destroyed, although that was bad enough, but certain infrastructure, including a Glider tram. Transport is the backbone of the tourism industry , and the swift disruptions to both rail services and road traffic is worrying evidence of how quickly this can cease. At its best, Translink only runs one train every hour connecting Northern Ireland’s two biggest cities, Derry and Belfast and the same between Belfast and Ireland’s capital city. When bus routes are diverted and trains are delayed or cancelled, movement between these cities crumbles. Tourists may think twice about venturing North and end up missing out on the scenery and attractions Belfast and the North have to offer.
And it’s not just future tourists who may be dissuaded but future students too. Students from the Republic of Ireland, the UK, or abroad, seeing these violent scenes online or on the news, may reconsider calling Belfast home for their three- or four-year degree. Even students living in Northern Ireland may now be convinced to leave home and study elsewhere, pushed away by the hate and violence growing on their streets. International students, especially, may now find Belfast out of the question. The riots were a flash of vitriol aimed at terrorising immigrants and people of colour, and it’s no wonder our streets no longer feel safe for them. Even prior to the riots and anticipating trouble, Queens School of AEL reaffirmed itself as a safe place for all students, followed quickly by safety information from the university itself. Both Ulster and Queen’s Student Unions were also prompted to speak out on the situation. But will the universities work do enough to show that the majority of Belfast is welcoming?
Has an embarrassing display set the nation back several decades? It may appear that way, with live newsfeeds showing water cannons and riot squads in action, people around the world may have had their pre-existing stereotypes of Belfast confirmed. However, there are communities at work, such as universities, public figures, and organisations, who are trying to undo the bad with fundraisers to help families and by promoting anti-hate rhetoric online. It’s these people who are portraying the true side of Northern Ireland as friendly, welcoming people who are great craic. Hopefully, it will be this image that prevails.
References
1 – “Northern Ireland Tourism 2025”, NISRA and The Department of Finance, 21st May 2026, Northern Ireland Tourism.
