Screen tourism creates business opportunities TV and film productions filmed in Northern Ireland are creating opportunities for tourism businesses. Research suggests that one in 10 overseas visitors comes to the UK because of a film or television production (source: The Economic Impact of the UK Film Industry, Oxford Economics, 2007). Northern Ireland’s diverse landscapes and local expertise have resulted in an increasing number of productions being filmed here, including; Game of Thrones, The Fall and Ridley Scott’s Halo. Locations featured on screen have the potential to become major visitor attractions and local tourism businesses can take advantage of this. Earlier this year Northern Ireland Screen launched a new strategy ‘Opening Doors’ highlighting a potential £42.8 million investment in the screen industries over the next four years. This is expected to generate a return of £194 million to the Northern Ireland economy. Tourism opportunities The film industry offers opportunities for tourism businesses to host and support incoming production crews and to provide TV and film themed tours and experiences for visitors. The potential to attract visitors through screen tourism has been highlighted by the success of the Game of Thrones exhibition, which Belfast first hosted in June 2013. The event attracted more than 18,000 visitors over 10 days. Over 30 per cent of tickets were purchased by visitors from outside Northern Ireland. After this success, the exhibition returned to Belfast in June 2014. To find out more about capitalising on tourism business opportunities from TV and film productions, please contact us.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 09:13:33 +0000