Today is the tenth anniversary of Northern Ireland's Good Friday peace deal. And it's capital is booming and buzzing. The terror and bombings seem a thing of the past.

While centuries old Irish traditions remain strong in Belfast, it is in fact fast-becoming a very modern European city.

Ten years on since the Good Friday peace deal there are obvious signs that things have changed in the capital.

It's hard to find a hotel room in this city now, even at what was once dubbed the most bombed hotel in Europe and the historic Crown bar now sees tourists from all over the world who're no longer scared to visit, much to the delight of barman Stephen Webb.

[Stephen Webb, Bar Supervisor]:
"The changes are immense in the last ten years, you know, with the amount of people coming to Belfast now and they aren't just visiting, they are staying here."

These regulars, young and old alike, are convinced the decades-old political violence is a thing the past.

[Colm Moss, Belfast Resident]:
"We're progressing every day and it's got so much better than it was if you go back ten years ago. Now the city is brilliant."

[Chris Hadley, Belfast Resident]:
"Things have changed like, you know, I think a lot of people have relaxed, you know."

The most visible sign of Belfast's robust economy is the newly opened Victoria Square shopping centre, with its impressive glass-domed roof.

Something that would have been unthinkable during the years the IRA regularly bombed the city centre.

[Hugh Black, Shopping Centre Manager]:
"As the song goes, "Things can only get better". I think we are on an up. There's huge investment in the city, this is obviously a landmark now and this is going to bring, I think, a lot more people to Northern Ireland to see this alone and see what is going on in Belfast."

The once insular economy now attracts global brands. Foreign investment in Northern Ireland rose 300 per cent in the last year. Attracting nearly one billion dollars, according to research by economist Mark O'Connel.

[Mark O'connell, Investment Consultant Executive]:
"Belfast per se has really caught up a lot in terms of other European cities, by any standard in terms of employment, growth, foreign investment, even the retail evening economy. All those indicators would be fairly positive I would suggest."

By Belfast's standards the economy is booming and unemployment is at an all time low. But given the decades of stagnant growth during the Troubles, the city still has many hurdles to jump in the coming years.