Chethma De Mel, Jadetimes Staff
C. J. De Mel is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Entertainment News
Thirty years ago, tourism in Northern Ireland was as good as dead. Nowadays, with a new sense of optimism, tourists are returning to the region.
On a balmy Saturday evening in Derry, Northern Ireland, the sun shining off the River Foyle, it's alive with action: tourists having drinks on the terrace of newly opened Ebrington Hotel & Spa, a busker outside Embankment Bar & Grill, and patrons spilling onto the pavement at Walled City Brewery. Once a British army barracks during the Troubles, Ebrington Square has become symbolic of the region's transformation.
Derry lay at the very heart of the Troubles, plagued by IRA bombings and battles with British forces. The British army loomed large over a divided city, and tourism to Northern Ireland was scarce. The IRA declared a ceasefire in 1994, and curious travelers began to visit the area. Some tours-like Belfast's Black Cab Tours-pointed out bomb sites, peace walls, and political murals.
Nowadays, peace is at the forefront. Ebrington Square is now a must-see, accessible across the S-shaped Peace Bridge from the old walled city. Tourism to Derry has doubled in the last decade, thanks to its rich history, stunning landscapes, and emerging hospitality scene. Aeidan McCarter, Investment and Enterprise Development Officer of Derry Council, agrees that Derry is now visited like any other European city. Its food, drinks, and well-restored historical buildings take the tourists aback.
The 17th-century walls of this city are the point from which to view the surrounding mountains and the river and the Bogside neighborhood, a flash point during the Troubles. The Museum of Free Derry, which opened its doors in 2007 in the Bogside, graphically captures the tumult of those years; a newly inaugurated Peacemakers Museum illustrates the ensuing peace process and pays tribute to those who helped forge it, such as John Hume.
As a pivotal player in the peace process, Hume received numerous prestigious peace prizes; his awards are on display at the Guildhall Museum. Pre-Good Friday Agreement, Derry/Londonderry was seriously militarized - today it's wide open. Northern Ireland's most spectacular drive, the Causeway Coastal Route, begins just north of Belfast and swoops past Derry; eventually it will join seamlessly with the Republic's Wild Atlantic Way, creating one continuous coastal drive along the western edge of the island.
Other new developments continue to epitomize the fresh air of optimism. For example, the Narrow Water Bridge project, which started in 2024, will finally connect Northern Ireland and the Republic across Carlingford Lough, further attesting to increased cooperation between these two countries. Due to open in 2027, the bridge will further open up access to some of the most spectacular natural beauty along the Mourne and Cooley Mountains, and the Castlewellan Peace Maze, planted in 1998 to mark the Good Friday Agreement.
According to Tourism Ireland's Helen McGorman, the focus has now shifted away from Northern Ireland's troubled past onto its stunning scenery, vibrant cities, and rich cultural heritage. The perfect example is the Titanic Belfast, a museum that tells the tale of the fated ship. After opening in 2012, it had welcomed millions into the museum and boosted the local economy accordingly. Its success thus marks the re-entry of Northern Ireland into the world tourism market, morphing the image of the region from one of conflict to one of culture.
One of the first to envision Northern Ireland as a tourist destination was Martin McCrossan, who in 1994 opened a tour company in Derry. His daughter Charlene, now running the company, says most people at that time thought he had rather unrealistic hopes. The tourism boom nowadays confirms that he had been a visionary.
The queue outside Stitch and Weave, a new restaurant in Ebrington Square housed in a former army canteen, speaks volumes about the city's revival. Work is also underway on the DNA – Derry North Atlantic - maritime museum, which opens in 2026; it will showcase Derry's history as a key port, further cementing the city's status as a thriving tourist hub.
The words of Belfast-born author C.S. Lewis-splashed across one building in the town of Rostrevor-capture perfectly how Northern Ireland is forever changing: "You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending."
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