Tourism Minister Arlene Foster has officially opened a tourist information centre on Belfast's Shankill Road, as the area begins to look beyond its bloody history to a brighter future.
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The new Shankill Local Information Office, based in the Spectrum Centre, was opened on Monday.
It has been established by the Greater Shankill Partnership with support from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.
Thousands of tourists visit the area in the west of the city every year and speaking at the opening of the new office, Ms Foster said she hopes the office will become the "first port-of-call for visitors".
"The Shankill area offers visitors a rich and exciting cultural experience," she said. "The new information office means visitors from outside Northern Ireland, and the wider local community, can now find out more about the area.
"Recently we have had some research carried out which shows that the tourism spend in Northern Ireland could reach £1bn by 2020.
"That's a very significant boost for the economy and those figures actually stack up against our tourism draft strategy as well so we are very much looking forward to developing tourism here in Northern Ireland."
The Shankill has been the site of many Troubles atrocities. Nine civilians and an IRA man were killed in the fish shop bomb in 1993, and there have been deadly paramilitary feuds.
Baroness May Blood, one of the area's best known figures, says now is the time to change the Shankill's negative past.
"We can't allow the past 40 years to wipe out the hundreds of years of history that is in this area," she said.
"I think people now, particularly visitors, want to hear about the real history and we have to present that in a way that is understood and in a way people can enjoy it and tell their friends to come."
One of the biggest attractions for tourists is the huge peace wall between the Shankill and the Falls.
Up to half a million people are estimated to come to see it every year. Those promoting the new tourist office want to focus on the historic buildings and cultural venues in the area.
"We have tremendous history here on the Shankill, Fern Hill House, the Shankill Graveyard, Saint Matthew's Church and the Divis Mountains," said local DUP councillor William Humphrey.
"It's got a rich cultural history, industrial history and a great military history.
"We want people to come and see the Shankill for what it is - a very welcoming and attractive place."
© UTV News