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Posted 02/09/2020 by Experience UK

£24 Million Game of Thrones studio tour plans expected to go ahead this week

A £24 million Game of Thrones studio tour is set to be given the green light by council officials this week.

The eight-series studio tour, based in Banbridge, is expected to attract up to 600 thousand visitors per year, boosting Northern Ireland’s tourism revenue by £400 million by 2030. As well as providing 200 jobs to those who live in the local area.

The project is expected to cost investors £23.7 million, providing an extremely healthy profit margin if plans are given the go ahead.

The development is set to be constructed at Linen Mill Studios, which was one of Game of Thrones’ main production sites from 2011 to 2018, including two large phenomenal ship sets. 

The plan is to extend the current studios to create a 110 thousand square-foot interactive experience dedicated to Sky Atlantic’s flagship series. Planning permission has already been granted to extend the original Linen Mill Studios by Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council in April 2019.

Fans of the Thrones will get up and close with the famous characters’ props and costumes, tour around the hit-series iconic sets, including the Winterfell Great Hall, and learn secrets of how the ultra-successful show was made. A number of digitally-interactive experiences will also be on offer for visitors to enjoy. 
The attraction is expected to be open 12 hours a day, seven days a week. If the tour hits 600 thousand visitors annually it will be Northern Ireland’s third most visited attraction, behind the Giant’s Causeway and HMS Belfast. 

 A statement from the design team said: “Due to the worldwide success of the TV series it is envisaged that the tour will attract visitors not only from Northern Ireland but from the Republic of Ireland, the UK mainland and from across the world.

“Not only is the studio tour aimed at fans of the show but to the wider public in general, with exhibits demonstrating film production techniques, such as set decoration and costume design.”

In other news, a second ‘Making of Harry Potter’ studio tour is coming to Japan.