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The state-of-the-art visitor attraction will open later this year after securing a sizeable loan to part-finance the project
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 30 Mar 2021
The Game of Thrones Studio Tour is set to become one of Northern Ireland’s top tourist attractions Credit: Linen Mill Studios
The Game of Thrones Studio tour has secured major funding to make the attraction a reality, with the attraction securing a loan of £10m (US$13.8m, €11.7m) for the £36.5m (US$50.3m, €42.7m) development.
Set to open in the summer to celebrate the the 10th anniversary of Game of Thrones, the landmark tourist attraction will see the Linen Mill Studios where the show was shot in Banbridge, Northern Ireland, transformed into a 10,000sq m (107,600sq ft) interactive visitor attraction and studio tour.
The experience will feature iconic and authentic set pieces, props and costumes from the multi-award winning TV series, as well as highlighting and promoting the creative industries behind Game of Thrones, including design, art, make-up, prosthetics and CGI technology. The tour will also feature a ‘backlot’ café and a retail element filled with Game of Thrones merchandise.
“On behalf of my fellow directors, I would like to thank Gavin Campbell and the wider Barclays team for their support and professional approach during these unprecedented times,” said Andrew Webb, director at Linen Mill Studios.
“With Barclays’ support, we are now gathering momentum towards opening one of the most exciting visitor attractions in Northern Ireland’s history later this year. Just the prospect of a Game of Thrones Studio Tour has already generated huge excitement and interest among fans around the world and we expect our opening to play a significant part in underpinning Northern Ireland’s economy and rejuvenating the tourism sector on the island of Ireland in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.”
According to reports, the studio tour will boost Northern Ireland's tourism spend to £400m (US$551m, €468m) by the year 2030. Once open and post pandemic, the attraction will provide almost 200 jobs and will operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week. It's expected to welcome 600,000 visitors a year, with a quarter of visitors coming from Northern Ireland, a third from across the border and the remainder made up of international visitors.
Visitor attractions
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