Game Of Thrones to boost Irish tourism

LONDON — If you’re a Game Of Thrones fan, then perhaps you might want to put Northern Ireland on your destination list.

Ireland’s tourism body, Tourism Ireland, is attempting to harness the fantasy television series’ stellar popularity by unveiling 10 intricately carved doors made from two 200-year-old beech trees that were featured in the programme.

The campaign is centred on wood from the pair of trees blown down in Storm Gertrude in January at the Dark Hedges in County Antrim, the location that acts as the haunting Kingsroad in the programme.

One door will be unveiled each week as the sixth season unfolds. References and iconic symbols from each episode have been incorporated into the carvings, which will hang in pubs and other venues across Northern Ireland, near filming locations.

The first door was unveiled after the first episode of the season aired and hangs at The Cuan guest inn in the village of Strangford.

Tourism Ireland hopes this will spark further interest in visiting the country. “The popularity of Game Of Thrones is a fantastic opportunity for us to promote Northern Ireland to a huge audience of potential visitors,” said chief executive Niall Gibbons.

Northern Ireland’s Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Jonathan Bell said: “Fans from around the world have travelled to visit filming locations here and this Tourism Ireland campaign will help build on the success of their previous social media promotion, which saw dragon eggs for sale in Belfast and three-eyed ravens spotted across Northern Ireland.”

Tourism Ireland apparently has other tricks up its sleeve, too, including a limited edition Game Of Thrones stamp, as well as other “surprising features” to be rolled out at a later date.

Last year, it was reported that County Antrim had witnessed one of the biggest spikes in visitor numbers in the 12 months preceding the summer, thanks to Game Of Thrones filming locations. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH