In the late twentieth century Belfast suffered from a decline in its staple industries. It was also badly affected by two major bouts of civil disturbance. The first of these occurred in the early 1920s, as the Irish War of Independence was taking place. The second took place from 1968 to 1997, part of 'the Troubles' that afflicted Northern Ireland at this time. Since 1997 Belfast has thrived as a 'city break' destination as part of a so-called 'peace dividend', and there has been much development along the Lagan waterfront.
Belfast is served by two airports: Aldergrove, 20 miles west on the shore of [[Lough Neagh]], and Belfast City, in the eastern suburbs of the city. It is linked by rail to [[Dublin]] and [[Derry]]/[[Londonderry]], and ferry services connect Belfast to [[Stranraer]] and [[Cairnryan]] in south-west Scotland and to [[Liverpool]] in north-west England.
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