How Game of Thrones has helped Northern Ireland’s economy

I’ve written a lot about the economic impact of tourism on the locations where Game of Thrones shoots. Most of my focus has been on Spain (which stood in for much of Dorne this season) and Croatia (where Dubrovnik doubles for King’s Landing). Now, the Daily Beast has an article talking about the tourist experience in Northern Ireland, which provides the locations for cold northern locales like Winterfell and the Wall.

And boy, it sure sounds like they’ve got some dedication to providing an excellent tourism experience:

Some tour operators have as many as two buses of “Thronies” (President Obama hasn’t yet made the trek over but is a confirmed superfan) running seven days a week to see the places that make up “Westeros,” the fictional continent on which much of the show is based.

Tour operators also stop by the Dark Hedges in County Atrim, where scenes on the Kingsroad have been filmed; Ballintoy, also known as Pyke, the largest of the Iron Islands and the seat of Greyjoy power; and Ballycastle, from which Michelle Fairley and Conleth Hill both hail.

As expected, Game of Thrones has had a positive impact on Belfast’s economy, boosting it by $120 million and providing over 900 full-time jobs and 5,700 part-time jobs since the show’s inception. I’d be interested to know how much of that is from filming and how much from tourism, but either way, the show has done well for the city.

This isn’t the first time Northern Ireland has experience a surge in tourism thanks to a movie or TV show–James Cameron’s Titanic brought an unexpected rise in interest way back when, as the titular ship was built on the shipyards where a Titanic museum now resides. Game of Thrones has been so huge in the area that everyone who works on the show is encouraged to be fiercely protective and highly secretive:

“I signed a very tight confidentiality agreement,” read one totally anonymous email from an extra in Season 4, adding almost gingerly, “but all I can say is it was the greatest experience of my life and now I can die happy!”

Finally, I have to tip my hat to the writer of this article for underplaying one of the neatest anecdotes I’ve heard in a while:

One guide, when showing an explicit scene involving Melisandre, the Red Priestess of R’hllor, was taken aback when the mother of the real-life actress suddenly identified herself as one of the tour group members.

My hat’s off to you, Carice van Houten’s mom, for the pride you have for your daughter.

• Published on 04/16/2015 at 5:17 PM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 1:05 PM CDT