Google searches for Game of Thrones filming locations have jumped 153% this year – and Northern Ireland hotspots lead the way with four entries in the top 10 spots to visit.
uoyed by the excitement surrounding the release of House of Dragons, Thrones fans are still flocking to the spectacular locations where the original series was filmed.
While the most popular is Kirkjufell Mountain in Iceland, which featured in seasons six and seven as the large area of Westeros lying north of the Wall, Northern Ireland has the most entries on the list.
- The sites are: the Dark Hedges in Co Antrim, Dunluce Castle, Castle Ward and Tollymore Forest
The Newcastle forest at the foot of the Mournes was used for the haunted forest north of the Wall, the Wolfswood near Winterfell and the Kingsroad near Castle Black.
Using hashtag data from Instagram, online entertainment experts from Irish casino slotbox.com analysed a list of filming locations from Game of Thrones and House of Dragons to find out how many photographs have been taken at each location.
Kirkjufell Mountain notched up 86,616 hashtags on Instagram. Next up is Bardenas Reales Nature Reserve in northern Spain – Daenerys’ desert captivity in season six – with 80,601 hashtags, followed by the tiny island of Lokrum, a 15-minute ferry ride from Dubrovnik in Croatia, which had 76, 956 hashtags.
The Dark Hedges outside Ballymoney is the fourth most popular location with Game of Thrones fans on Instagram, with 70,297 hashtags.
The iconic trees have become one of the most photographed places in Northern Ireland after featuring in Thrones representing the Kingsroad.
The atmospheric avenue of large mature beech trees famously featured in season two of the series when Ayra Stark escaped from King’s Landing disguised as a boy.
The hauntingly stunning Dunluce Castle, used for Pyke Castle of House Greyjoy on Pyke Island, chalks up 38,862 hashtags.
Dunluce Castle’s exterior was used in Game of Thrones.
Castle Ward, home of the Whispering Wood and where key scenes including Brienne confronting the Stark men were filmed, notches up 18,167 hashtags and Tollymore Forest comes in 10th with 18,003 hashtags.
Slotbox.com said: “If you’ve ever fancied visiting the iconic locations from Game of Thrones, you aren’t the only one.
“It seems the release of House of Dragons has reignited our passion for the show, as Google searches for ‘Game of Thrones filming locations’ have increased by 153% globally in the last 12 months.”
The website said that since House of Dragons had premiered on HBO and HBO Max, fans had been checking out the newer locations in Iceland, Spain, Cornwall and Derbyshire. Northern Ireland wasn’t used as a location for the new show.
“Since the show aired last month, Google trends data shows fans are keen to find out more about the filming locations used to depict their favourite scenes,” slotbox.com said.
“In August, searches for ‘House of Dragons filming locations’ increased by 536% globally, suggesting a surge of fans are interested in these destinations, too.”
There is a link between screen content and tourism in countries that are used for filming.
Northern Ireland has 26 locations featured in Game of Thrones, and each year hundreds of thousands flock to these shores because of its links to the show.
In 2018, the series helped attract one in every six out-of-state visitors, accounting for 350,000 people and over £50m for the local economy.
The opening of the Game of Thrones tour at Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge and the arrival of House of Dragons have brought renewed interest.
The tour’s general manager Brad Kelly said: “Whether it’s seasonal or the new show, it’s hard to say at the moment. Our hope is that the show will draw the global audience back into the world of Game of Thrones.”
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