Belfast has been named the trendiest city for business travel in Europe, at an awards ceremony which took place in Amsterdam.

Fending off competition from Reykjavik and Valencia, the city took the award at the recent MICE and Business Travel conference in Amsterdam, voted for by a panel of industry experts.

Belfast has become an increasingly popular destination for city breaks, with excellent air links to major UK and European cities.

Gerry Lennon, Chief Executive of Visit Belfast, welcomed the accolade, saying “Belfast has been gaining an international reputation as a ‘cool’ city in recent years, being named the happiest city in the UK by Instagram, and receiving accolades from Condé Nast and Lonely Planet. This award simply reinforces the fact that the rest of the world is seeing Belfast as a great place to live and visit.

“We are lucky to have some amazing restaurants, hotels, bars and visitor attractions on our doorstep here in Belfast that make it an incredibly vibrant place and I am thrilled that the city has been recognised by those working in the industry.”

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “I am delighted that Belfast has been voted the trendiest city for business travel in Europe and I would like to congratulate the Visit Belfast team and our tourism industry partners in Belfast. Tourism Ireland has been working hard to build awareness of Belfast as a premier holiday and business tourism destination – in the Netherlands and elsewhere around the world. This well-deserved accolade for Belfast will help to inspire business travellers to choose Belfast and Northern Ireland; it also provides Tourism Ireland with another great hook to continue to promote the city and Northern Ireland as a ‘must see’ destination. Our message is that there has never been a better time to visit Belfast.”