The free walking tours, titled the story of Belfast’s streets, were the most popular events held in Northern Ireland as part of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Festival of Social Science.
The Festival ran through the entire month of November 2021 and is an annual celebration of the social sciences held throughout the UK.
This year, over 300 events were held hosted by 34 partners, and the walks held in Belfast were organised by myself and Queen’s University Belfast.
One hundred and forty-four people attended eight walks that were led by a team of nine tour guides who had recently completed the Belfast Green Badge course.
The Green Badge is a qualification awarded by the Institute of Tourist Guiding that assesses the skills and knowledge of guides and certifies them to lead tours in a designated geographical area such as Belfast.
The professional organisation for guides who hold qualifications awarded by the ITG in Northern Ireland is NITGA, the Northern Ireland Tourist Guide Association.