your views on Belfast dot com

So Lonely Planet* think that Northern Ireland is one of the must-see countries to visit in 2007, and Belfast is one of the top ten “Cities on the Rise”.

But the city council believe that if Belfast doesn’t market itself properly and positively, then there’s no reason to expect that the tourist pounds (and euros) will fill our city’s cash registers and bank accounts.

Of course, before you market, you need to know what you’ve got to flog. And that’s why Lloyd Northover brand consultants have conducted hundreds of interviews across the business, hospitality, development and media communities, and have now opened up a website - yourviewsonbelfast.com - to get Northern Ireland residents’ views on their capital city.

The survey closes on November 8 and Councillor Michael Brown encourages everyone to make their voice heard:

“It will just take 10 minutes of your time to help shape the image of Belfast for years to come.”

In his role as chairman of Belfast City Council’s development committee he adds:

“This is a really exciting time for Belfast as it is rapidly changing for the better and it needs a new image, a new brand to reflect this new era ... We want to hear what Belfast means to people who live and work here, to people who have visited the city for pleasure or business and even to those who have not yet been to Belfast but are interested in the city.”

The survey includes a chance to assess the kind of attributes you associated with Belfast, choosing three from the list that includes:

self confident, resilient, gritty, unsafe, rich heritage, sectarianism, quirky, hard but soft in the middle, cohesive, political, optimistic, vibrant, buzzing, compact, witty, ...

Along with the vote for the Arthur Street replacement for the old Cornmarket bandstand, you can have so much fun online now!

* You might want to check out the Lonely Planet sections titled Don’t trouble yourself with Dublin, head to Belfast instead and Best pubs in Belfast to meet an ex terrorist.