Games of Thrones: Series Made Millions in Publicity for Northern Ireland

By Cheri Cheng - 05 Dec '14 10:52AM

Tourism chiefs announced that the hit HBO TV series, Games of Thrones has generated more than $13.4 million (£8.6 million) worth in publicity for Northern Ireland this year alone.

"The campaign cost us £200,000 ($3 million). If we were to buy the publicity, that would have cost us £8.6m. It was the most successful Twitter campaign that we have ever run - and we have run a lot of them," Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said reported by the Belfast Telegraph.

The 11-week campaign was started in April after Tourism Ireland was granted permission by HBO to use the show's name and logo in their campaign. The campaign ran in North America and Europe via social media.

According to Gibbons, the show, which is often filmed in Northern Ireland, has enlightened and showed the world the beauty of this region. Some of the key spots included the Dark Hedges and Ballintoy harbor, which are located in north Antrim, and Castle Ward in County Down. Other key touristy spots include the Titanic and Belfast's maritime heritage, the Giants Causeway, the reopening of the Gobbins cliff path, and the refurbished Mount Stewart House.

( Dark Hedges)

With the TV show popularizing these areas, "it allowed us to sell Northern Ireland to an audience who wouldn't have heard of it before," Gibbons explained. "We will continue to highlight iconic experiences all over Northern Ireland - including Titanic Belfast, the Giant's Causeway and our unique National Trust properties. The Causeway Coastal Route and driving holidays will also be promoted widely."

Tourism chiefs added that they would continue to capitalize on the success of Games of Thrones, which is expected to return in April of next year. They hope to increase the number of visitors to Northern Ireland by at least six percent or 1.9 million tourists. This amount of people could generate about $865 million (£552 million) for the local economy.

"Following a successful 2014, ambitious targets have been set for 2015," Gibbons stated.