Belfast is enjoying a cross-border tourism bonanza because of the weakness of the pound against the euro.

Belfast City Council said today visitors from the Republic of Ireland represented more than 80% of day trippers visiting the city in 2008 - and made up almost 25% of those staying overnight.

That represented a massive growth on the previous year when cross border visitors made up 33% of day trippers and just 9% of overnight stays.

The growth was reported in the Belfast Tourism Monitor - an annual analysis of the city's tourism industry - which has been presented to councillors.

The monitor detailed a breakdown of what the record 7.1 million visitors last year did while in Belfast and how they spent £436.5 million.

The figures showed that while the overall number of visitors rose by just 3%, the number of out-of-state visitors rose by 43% and day trippers to the city by a massive 143%.

Councillor William Humphrey, chairman of the council Development Committee, said: "This growth can be largely attributed to the growing number of visitors from the republic of Ireland, many of them taking advantage of the strength of the euro against sterling, especially in the run up to last Christmas."

Visitors from across the border accounted for four out of five people undertaking a day trip - compared to just one in ten five years ago.

They also made up one in four people staying overnight compared to one in eight in 2004.

Hotels and restaurants grabbed 52% of the visitors' spending - rising to 74% for conference delegates and 76% of other business visitors.

The survey showed 67% of those visiting Belfast were doing so for the first time.

Holiday and business visits continued to remain the main reasons for a visit to Belfast. Holidays accounted for 62% of visitors from the Republic and 44% of those from north America, while business trips brought in 73% of European visitors.