Northern Ireland seeks cool tourists with Game of Thrones vibe
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Version 0 of 1. In any list of ridiculous job titles, the media industry is sure to rank highly. The BBC famously appointed a “transformation engagement and simplicity project lead” ahead of its 2012 simplicity drive. But the Northern Ireland Tourist Board has created a real gem of a role to promote the place where HBO’s Game of Thrones chooses to shoot much of the fictional world of Westeros. Cashing in on the legion of cool followers the cult, the NITB has appointed a “culture and creative vibe manager” whose quest it is to bring tourists to see the land of Winterfell, the Stormlands and the home of the Starks. “It’s great for us – we can associate ourselves to big brands like HBO and Game of Thrones,” the current “vibe master”, Martin Graham, mused in an interview with the Royal Television Society. As a result the show has appealed to the “sort of market that wouldn’t have come to Northern Ireland or have any knowledge of Northern Ireland from a tourism point of view,” Graham said. Monkey wonders if his contribution came as he draped himself across a fur-clad throne somewhere just outside Belfast. Game of Thrones is set to return to UK screens with series five on Sky Atlantic on 12 April. |