14 DAY TRIAL // With an ever-expanding fanbase, the George R.R. Martin saga “Game of Thrones” is quickly becoming a world phenomenon. The latest season from the HBO TV show drew in millions of viewers, and those millions are exactly the Irish Enterprise Minister is eyeing to increase the foreign tourism program.
When she spoke about a new tourism strategy for the next 3 years, Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said that she was seriously considering banking on the show's popularity to bring more foreign tourists to Ireland. She has hopes that she will be able to increase the 1.8 million visitors number to 2 million per year by 2016.
It may not be a commonly known fact that most of the TV series is filmed in Northern Ireland, which seemed like a perfect background to represent the medieval land of Westeros. Ireland's backdrop of rugged coastlines and medieval castles fits in perfectly with the dark tales of treachery and sorcery that Martin weaves so effortlessly.
Among the locations used by the TV show is Sandy Brae in the Mourne Mountains, the National Trust property Castle Ward, and the ruins of Shane's Castle.
This is not a novel idea. Many countries have taken advantage of free promoting done in this manner by Hollywood.
The most famous example that comes to mind is New Zealand, which banked on the worldwide success of the Lord of the Rings saga to offer people a chance to visit The Shire, a set build for the film in the countryside. Since then, the location has been turned into a tourist destination and receives a constant flow of visitor from all parts of the world.
Actress Michelle Fairley, a native of Northern Ireland who plays Lady Catelyn Stark in the show, had only words of praise about her homeland: “The Causeway Coast and Glens looked amazing on film and suited Game of Thrones with the rugged, barren, and at time, wild backdrops.”