Downtown Belfast buzzes with new life as peace takes hold in
Northern Ireland a decade after the Good Friday peace agreement was signed on
April 10, 1998. 

Tourism is booming, unemployment is low and foreign investment is at record
levels, contributing to a feel good factor among those keen to shut the door
on the province's troubled past. 

While centuries old Irish traditions remain strong in Belfast, it is in
fact fast-becoming a very modern European city

Ten years on since the Good Friday peace deal there are obvious signs that
things have changed in the capital.

It's hard to find a hotel room in this city now,  even at what was once
dubbed the most bombed hotel in Europe and the historic Crown bar now sees
tourists from all over the world who're no longer scared to visit, much to the
delight of barman Stephen Webb.

Stephen Webb, Bar Supervisor, Crown Pub, saying :
"The changes are immense in the last ten years, you know, with the
amount of people coming to Belfast now and they aren't just visiting, they are
staying here.

These regulars, young and old alike, are convinced the decades-old
political violence is a thing the past.

 Colm Moss, 27-Year old Belfast resident saying
"We're progressing every day and it's got so much better than it
was if you go back ten years ago. Now the city is brilliant."
Chris Hadley, Resident of Belfast saying:
"Things have changed like, you know, I think a lot of people have
relaxed, you know."

The most visible sign of Belfast's robust economy is the newly opened
Victoria Square shopping centre, with its impressive glass-domed roof,
something that would have been unthinkable during the years the IRA regularly
bombed the city centre.

HUGH Black, Manager of Victoria Square shopping centre, Saying

"As the song goes, "Things can only get better". I think
we are on an up. There's huge investment in the city, this is obviously a
landmark now and this is going to bring, I think, a lot more people to
Northern Ireland to see this alone and see what is going on in
Belfast."

The once insular economy now attracts global brands.  Foreign investment in
Northern Ireland rose 300 per cent in the last year - attracting nearly 1
billion dollars, according to research by economist Mark O'Connel. 

Mark O'connell, Chief Executive Officer, OCO
Consulting, Foreign Direct Investment Consultancy Agency, saying: 

"Belfast per se has really caught up a lot in terms of other
European cities, by any standard in terms of employment, growth, foreign
investment, even the retail evening economy - all those indicators would be
fairly positive I would suggest."

By Belfast's standards the economy is booming and unemployment is at an all
time low -  but given the decades of stagnant growth during  the Troubles, the
city still has many hurdles to jump in the coming years.

Georgina Cooper, Reuters
There is a palpable sense of optimism here, it may be cautious, but
never the less people say ten years after the Good Friday Agreement peace is
here to stay.

I'm Reuters correspondent Georgina Cooper in Belfast.