Staging the world’s largest celebration of Irish music and culture in Belfast this week is expected to exceed £53m in terms of an economic boost to the city.
The latest projection about the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann was given by Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald as she welcomed hospitality representatives and tour operators to the city.
The eight-day festival, which runs until 9 August, marks the first time the event has been held in the city
More than 176,000 people were in Belfast city centre on Sunday for the opening ceremony – an increase of 95% on the same day last year.
On Thursday, Archibald said the signals were “pointing in a positive direction” and the Department for the Economy (DfE) now expected the economic boost to exceed the £53m figure which her department had announced earlier this week.
Archibald added: “I think we have seen greater than expected numbers coming to experience the Fleadh this year, so we are anticipating that it will likely be greater than that.
“We haven’t got a number on it yet, all of that will come in the evaluations post event.”