Anna Lo said: “I would like to congratulate everybody involved in the organisation of the brilliant Tall Ships event. Its overwhelming success can be seen in the massive numbers who attended and enjoyed this spectacle.
“I want to also praise Lord Mayor Naomi Long on the positive image of Belfast she is helping portray, and since she has taken on the role she has done a magnificent job in showing Belfast working as one.
“The Tall Ships festival was a major tourism success for the city and it puts Belfast on the world events map. It shows that we can host the biggest global events and put on an amazing show..
“This event illustrated the true and positive image of the city, and helped to greatly boost our economy. It attracted many people from other parts of the world and I am confident that many of them will have been very impressed and will return again.”
ENDS