Image caption Belfast hotels had reduced occupancies after a downturn in tourism

A boom in business for Belfast hotels looks to have peaked with occupancy rates starting to "falter", according to an industry body.

Analysis by the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation (NIHF) shows occupancy rates dipped by about 3% between this summer and 2017.

It says demand for rooms "has not kept pace with the increase in supply".

An upswing in tourism fuelled a spate of new hotel builds, adding more than 1,000 rooms to the city's stock.

The NIHF said it believes it could be 2022 before "the market will have absorbed the current supply".

Image caption In Londonderry a new hotel has been built on Strand Road.

As a result, the federation has forecast a slowdown in new hotels.

There are now 141 hotels in Northern Ireland with a combined total of 9,177 bedrooms.

Federation Chief Executive Janice Gault said: "Attracting more visitors is paramount.

"We need to increase the size of the tourism cake to ensure that each hotel gets a good slice of business."