Game of Thrones boom?

Game of Thrones boom?

13 January 2016

THE soaraway success of the global HBO phenomenon Game of Thrones television series could produce a major tourism spin-off for the district.

This week, Newry, Mourne and Down Council agreed to commit £10,000 towards a new £100,000 initiative to promote local film locations as part of a new drive to attract more visitors to the area which could generate almost £3m in tourism revenue.

An on-line Game of Thrones marketing plan is being devised by the local authority in conjunction with Tourism Ireland, HBO and the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. 

Fifty per cent of the costs of the new initiative is being provided by the UK Challenge Fund which provides support to help capitalise on opportunities in overseas markets.

The six-week on-line social marketing campaign promoting film locations across Northern Ireland will target an estimated 10 million people in America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany. 

The online initiative will be a forerunner to additional campaigns being delivered by HBO, Tourism NI and Tourism Ireland to coincide with the sixth series of Games of Thrones which will be launched in April.

The award winning cult American fantasy drama television series created for HBO is largely filmed in a Belfast studio and many locations across the Province.

Scenes for previous series have been filmed at Inch Abbey and the Quoile River near Downpatrick and at the Castleward estate near Strangford. A number of scenes for the new series of the television phenomenon which airs in the spring were recently filmed in Saintfield.

Game of Thrones has attracted record numbers of viewers across the globe and received widespread acclaim from critics. The series has won 26 Emmy Awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2015.

There are already a number of official Game of Thrones bus tours to some of the locations in Down District which feature in the series but the new on-line initiative could see numbers increase dramatically.

Rowallane councillor Terry Andrews said given the global popularity of the HBO series, he believes the new on-line initiative can attract more Games of Thrones fans to the district.

“The area’s links with this phenomenally successful television series can help put the local sites which feature on it firmly on the tourist trail,” he said. The television series has a life of its own and the district can benefit from increased tourism.

“Game of Thrones has been a major success and it has helped put our district on the map. The fact it is watched by tens of millions of people across the globe is good news for our area. If we an attract just a tiny fraction of such a global television audience to our district it will provide a major boost for the economy and the tourism sector.”