THE VISIT of the Tall Ships to Belfast continued to draw big crowds to the city yesterday, notwithstanding some heavy rain and initial transport problems.
Extra carriages were put on trains from Derry to Belfast to try to cope with the great interest in the major maritime event, while additional buses were also provided to ferry passengers to Belfast’s dockside. The PSNI, the organisers and the transport company, Translink, urged the public to be calm and patient as they tried to overcome the traffic problems.
Lessons were learned from the first day and organisers would continue to minimise disruption, said Belfast lord mayor Naomi Long. A lower turnout due to the rain eased the traffic flow yesterday.
Ms Long said the event was proving a huge success, with an estimated 140,000 people visiting the harbour area on Thursday.
“Despite the weather, we have a fantastic turnout, with crowds lining the docks to view the majestic tall ships and enjoying the variety of entertainment and activities taking place. We would envisage that the total numbers for the first two days will exceed 200,000, with the full festival on target to attract half a million visitors,” she added.
Belfast City Council is the biggest single funder of the event, contributing £1.1 million towards the total cost of £2.4 million.
Ms Long estimated that the event would be worth over £10 million to the local economy.
