Southern shoppers have been slow to begin crossing the Border since the renewal of the IRA ceasefire but traders are taking solace from a "new phenomenon" of foreign visitors travelling from the Republic into the North.

Chamber of Trade chief executive Mr Frank Caddy said he was very encouraged by the number of people from outside Ireland who had visited the North since the new ceasefire on July 20th. "This is a new phenomenon, which we didn't even see after the last ceasefire. People are taking the opportunity to spend a couple of days up here when they are vacationing south of the Border. "Many of them may even be day-trippers but I would say that we are seeing in the order of more than 500 extra visits a week since the ceasefire," he said. ["] The strength of sterling against the pound is seen as one of the main reasons Southerners have failed to flock to the North in anything like the numbers seen in 1994.

A greater range of shops in Dublin, particularly with the opening of the Jervis Street Centre which houses a number of popular British stores, has also played a part, as has the absence of a "curiosity factor".

Marks and Spencer has recently announced plans to open a store in south Belfast, bringing to three the number of new M&S stores due to open in 1998 in Northern Ireland. Manager Mr Bob Jones said the situation was "completely different to post-ceasefire 1994".

Visitor numbers had increased steadily but this had not been accompanied by the same upturn in turnover.

"We are really encouraged that visitor numbers are certainly on the increase. They are people who would never have considered coming to Belfast and from anecdotal observation, they are visiting Dublin and decide to spend a day or two in Belfast," he said.

The new "Enterprise" train service between Belfast and Dublin, which came into effect earlier this month, has increased frequency by 33 per cent.