Hit TV series Game of Thrones generated more than £8.6 million worth of publicity for Northern Ireland this year, tourism bosses have revealed. Executives at Tourism Ireland were quick to capitalise on the global success of the HBO series, much of which is filmed on location in the region. They launched an 11-week international marketing campaign in April this year after HBO allowed the programme’s name and logo to be used in the tourism campaign. Dunluce Castle in County Antrim, Northern Ireland represents House of Greyjoy, ruler of the Iron Islands . It was unrolled on Twitter and Facebook in North America and Europe, including Great Britain, United States, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, and was aimed at targeting the show’s 14m viewers. It ran for just 11 weeks between April and June this year and received 100million hits online. Despite costing just £200,000 to create, executives say that reaching such a large audience would normally have cost almost £9million, making it Tourism Ireland's most successful ever campaign. As well as the Titanic Studios in Belfast, locations including the Cushendun caves, Murlough Bay, Ballintoy Harbour, and Larrybane have all provided backdrops for the drama. Tourism Ireland hope the success of the advertising push will increase overseas visitor numbers to more than two million a year by 2016 and generate more than £550 million for the local economy. Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said: ‘The campaign cost us £200,000. If we were to buy the publicity, that would have cost us £8.6 million. Ballintoy Harbor, a small village in Northern Ireland, is used to represent the Iron Islands in the HBO series . Located in North East County Antrim, Murlough Bay was transformed into the setting for Storm's End fortress . Castle Ward in Co. Down was transformed from a 17th century house into the fictional castle of Winterfell . ‘It was the most successful Twitter campaign that we have ever run - and we have run a lot of them. ‘It allowed us to sell Northern Ireland to an audience who wouldn't have heard of it before.’ Game of Thrones has been shot in a variety of locations including Morocco, Iceland, Malta and Croatia. However, the majority of filming took place in Northern Ireland, where the rugged landscape provided a stunning scenic backdrop. The series has thrown the spotlight on beauty spots such as the Dark Hedges and Ballintoy harbour in north Antrim as well as Castle Ward in Co Down. Game of Thrones is one of a number of large-scale productions to have been filmed in Northern Ireland over the past decade. Others include Dracula Untold and the BBC drama series The Fall. Downhill Beach in Co. Londonderry is home to Mussenden – a tiny temple perched dramatically on a 120ft cliff top, high above the Atlantic Ocean. It was used as the location for Dragonstone in Season 2 of the hit series. Downhill Beach in Co. Londonderry is home to Mussenden – a tiny temple perched dramatically on a 120ft cliff top, high above the Atlantic Ocean. It was used as the location for Dragonstone in Season 2 of the hit series . Sitting on the shore of Strangford Lough, Audley’s Field has set the scene for plenty of Game of Thrones’ drama, including Robb’s Stark's camp . Carrick-a-Rede, Co. Antrim is a headland located along the country’s North Coast. It was the spot chosen for Renly Baratheon's camp at Stormlands in the production’s second series . Carrick-a-Rede, Co. Antrim is a headland located along the country’s North Coast. It was the spot chosen for Renly Baratheon's camp at Stormlands in the production’s second series. Ballintoy Harbour on the North Antrim Coast in Co. Antrim was the setting for the fictional Pyke Castle and The Iron Islands. Murlough Bay in Co. Antrim provided the location for Storm's End castle, while Dark Hedges, also in Co. Antrim was used as the setting for Kingsroad, the fictional highway running up to the city of King’s Landing. Castle Ward, Co. Down was the location used to depict Winterfell castle in the series. The setting for Robb Stark's camp was Audley's Field in Strangford Lough, while River Quoile in Co. Down was used as the backdrop for Riverrun. Dark Hedges in Co. Antrim was used as the setting for Kingsroad, the fictional highway running up to the city of King’s Landing . Tollymore Forest Park in Co. Down was transformed into the Haunted Forest, a substantial woodland lying north of the Wall, beyond the northern border . Tollymore Forest Park in Co. Down was transformed into the Haunted Forest, while Beric Dondarrion's hideout was shot at Pollnagollum Cave in Co. Fermanagh. Mr Gibbons said the organisation had ambitious plans to promote Northern Ireland as a must-see destination. He added: ‘Following a successful 2014, ambitious targets have been set for 2015. ‘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 to Northern Ireland will also be promoted widely. ‘Next year we will be working hard to maximise tourism potential of the Irish Open at Royal County Down and the return of the Tall Ships to Belfast, as well as the opening up of the Gobbins cliff path. We will continue to target people of Ulster-Scots descent; and to promote Northern Ireland as a top golf destination.’ Sean Bean is one of a number of stars to appear in HBO series Game of Thrones, based on the bestselling novels Song of Ice and Fire by author George RR Martin . Meanwhile, Brian Ambrose, chairman of Tourism Ireland, said although there was still a nervousness among some about travelling to Belfast, feedback was positive. He said: ‘For first time visitors there is a nervousness about coming, they are not quite sure what things will be like when they get here. 'But the best form of advertising is word of mouth, so people come and enjoy the experience. ‘As far as the feedback is concerned, the experience generally exceeds expectations, which is a good place to be.'
Much of hit US TV series Game of Thrones was filmed in Northern Ireland .
Executives at Tourism Ireland were quick to capitalise on show's success .
A marketing campaign featuring locations used in HBO series went viral .
Online campaign seen by more than 100m people in just eleven weeks .
Hit TV series Game of Thrones generated more than £8.6 million worth of publicity for Northern Ireland this year, tourism bosses have revealed. Executives at Tourism Ireland were quick to capitalise on the global success of the HBO series, much of which is filmed on location in the region. They launched an 11-week international marketing campaign in April this year after HBO allowed the programme’s name and logo to be used in the tourism campaign. Dunluce Castle in County Antrim, Northern Ireland represents House of Greyjoy, ruler of the Iron Islands . It was unrolled on Twitter and Facebook in North America and Europe, including Great Britain, United States, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, and was aimed at targeting the show’s 14m viewers. It ran for just 11 weeks between April and June this year and received 100million hits online. Despite costing just £200,000 to create, executives say that reaching such a large audience would normally have cost almost £9million, making it Tourism Ireland's most successful ever campaign. As well as the Titanic Studios in Belfast, locations including the Cushendun caves, Murlough Bay, Ballintoy Harbour, and Larrybane have all provided backdrops for the drama. Tourism Ireland hope the success of the advertising push will increase overseas visitor numbers to more than two million a year by 2016 and generate more than £550 million for the local economy. Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said: ‘The campaign cost us £200,000. If we were to buy the publicity, that would have cost us £8.6 million. Ballintoy Harbor, a small village in Northern Ireland, is used to represent the Iron Islands in the HBO series . Located in North East County Antrim, Murlough Bay was transformed into the setting for Storm's End fortress . Castle Ward in Co. Down was transformed from a 17th century house into the fictional castle of Winterfell . ‘It was the most successful Twitter campaign that we have ever run - and we have run a lot of them. ‘It allowed us to sell Northern Ireland to an audience who wouldn't have heard of it before.’ Game of Thrones has been shot in a variety of locations including Morocco, Iceland, Malta and Croatia. However, the majority of filming took place in Northern Ireland, where the rugged landscape provided a stunning scenic backdrop. The series has thrown the spotlight on beauty spots such as the Dark Hedges and Ballintoy harbour in north Antrim as well as Castle Ward in Co Down. Game of Thrones is one of a number of large-scale productions to have been filmed in Northern Ireland over the past decade. Others include Dracula Untold and the BBC drama series The Fall. Downhill Beach in Co. Londonderry is home to Mussenden – a tiny temple perched dramatically on a 120ft cliff top, high above the Atlantic Ocean. It was used as the location for Dragonstone in Season 2 of the hit series. Downhill Beach in Co. Londonderry is home to Mussenden – a tiny temple perched dramatically on a 120ft cliff top, high above the Atlantic Ocean. It was used as the location for Dragonstone in Season 2 of the hit series . Sitting on the shore of Strangford Lough, Audley’s Field has set the scene for plenty of Game of Thrones’ drama, including Robb’s Stark's camp . Carrick-a-Rede, Co. Antrim is a headland located along the country’s North Coast. It was the spot chosen for Renly Baratheon's camp at Stormlands in the production’s second series . Carrick-a-Rede, Co. Antrim is a headland located along the country’s North Coast. It was the spot chosen for Renly Baratheon's camp at Stormlands in the production’s second series. Ballintoy Harbour on the North Antrim Coast in Co. Antrim was the setting for the fictional Pyke Castle and The Iron Islands. Murlough Bay in Co. Antrim provided the location for Storm's End castle, while Dark Hedges, also in Co. Antrim was used as the setting for Kingsroad, the fictional highway running up to the city of King’s Landing. Castle Ward, Co. Down was the location used to depict Winterfell castle in the series. The setting for Robb Stark's camp was Audley's Field in Strangford Lough, while River Quoile in Co. Down was used as the backdrop for Riverrun. Dark Hedges in Co. Antrim was used as the setting for Kingsroad, the fictional highway running up to the city of King’s Landing . Tollymore Forest Park in Co. Down was transformed into the Haunted Forest, a substantial woodland lying north of the Wall, beyond the northern border . Tollymore Forest Park in Co. Down was transformed into the Haunted Forest, while Beric Dondarrion's hideout was shot at Pollnagollum Cave in Co. Fermanagh. Mr Gibbons said the organisation had ambitious plans to promote Northern Ireland as a must-see destination. He added: ‘Following a successful 2014, ambitious targets have been set for 2015. ‘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 to Northern Ireland will also be promoted widely. ‘Next year we will be working hard to maximise tourism potential of the Irish Open at Royal County Down and the return of the Tall Ships to Belfast, as well as the opening up of the Gobbins cliff path. We will continue to target people of Ulster-Scots descent; and to promote Northern Ireland as a top golf destination.’ Sean Bean is one of a number of stars to appear in HBO series Game of Thrones, based on the bestselling novels Song of Ice and Fire by author George RR Martin . Meanwhile, Brian Ambrose, chairman of Tourism Ireland, said although there was still a nervousness among some about travelling to Belfast, feedback was positive. He said: ‘For first time visitors there is a nervousness about coming, they are not quite sure what things will be like when they get here. 'But the best form of advertising is word of mouth, so people come and enjoy the experience. ‘As far as the feedback is concerned, the experience generally exceeds expectations, which is a good place to be.'
Hit TV series Game of Thrones generated more than Executives at Tourism Ireland were quick to capitalise on the global success of the HBO international marketing campaign in April this place in Northern Ireland, where the rugged of stars to appear in HBO series Game of Thrones,