Popular fantasy drama series Game Of Thrones has brought in an estimated £150 million to the Northern Ireland economy since it began production there in 2010. The HBO-produced show has attained a significant number of jobs for the locals.
The Northern Ireland Screen (NI Screen), which is in charge of promoting the development of the film, animation and television production industry, has spent roughly £13.75 million in funding for Game of Thrones, meaning the returns are more than ten times over. The production receives substantial tax breaks in order to film in Northern Ireland.
Chief Executive of the NI Richard Williams said, "In terms of jobs and services here, we're just creeping up to £150 million across the six seasons," BBC reported. It has been estimated that an equivalent of 900 full-time jobs and 5,700 part-time ones were created as a result of the show. The monetary figure stated does not even include the gains from the tourists who come to Northern Ireland, purportedly to visit filming locations such as the Dark Hedges and Ballintoy Harbor.
Judith Webb of Tourism NI added, "We can see already that businesses are growing on the back of the Game of Thrones series." She went on to say that there were businesses that reported that business has doubled each year upon year. "People come for Game of Thrones and stay for Northern Ireland," she emphasized. Even series star Emilia Clarke, in a report by BelfastLive, was quoted as saying, "Belfast is amazing."
Game Of Thrones is not exclusively filming in Northern Ireland. Other countries have been used throughout the show, particularly Croatia, which the show used to film King's Landing from Season 2 onwards. However, it is only Northern Ireland that has been heavily used for quite a number of locations each season.
The show is shot at the Titanic Studios in the capital city of Belfast, with NI Screen constructing two additional sound studios. Due to its success, a spike in filmmaking in Northern Ireland was generated, with television shows such as 37 Days and Line of Duty, and movies like Dracula Untold and High-Rise all being filmed there.
Game Of Thrones was created by David Benoiff and D.B Weiss, based on George R.R. Martin's book, A Song of Ice and Fire. It will reportedly run for two more seasons.
Click on the video below to learn more about the Northern Ireland locations in the show.