Jonathan Buckley MLA said.
‘‘ Today marks the grand opening of the world’s first of its kind official Game of Thrones Studio Tour in Banbridge.
This is a state of the art, game-changing tourist attraction which aims to capitalise on the global interest of the Game of Thrones filming locations across Northern Ireland.
Pre-pandemic,
Game of Thrones directly accounted for one in every six overseas
visitors to NI, and this attraction gives Upper Bann direct involvement
in a thriving industry.
I am extremely pleased to see this exciting project come to fruition and I would encourage all fans of the show to visit the Studio Tour.’’
Diane Dodds MLA said.
“This is a good day for Banbridge and Upper Bann as the home to Game of Thrones. The series will come to life again in the Studio Tour with many of the original sets and scenes from the series
This series has an international reputation and will bring visitors from across the world and has the potential to have a transformative impact on our local economy.
I have been working with the local council, Tourism NI and the Banbridge Chamber of Commerce to make sure that the benefit of a rise in tourism numbers is felt within the local economy in restaurants, shops and hotels.
I am delighted preparations are underway for a local festival to celebrate this cinematic phenomenon.”