Linen Mill Studios has secured £3.5m of funding towards the cost of its landmark new Game of Thrones Studio Tour visitor attraction.
Once completed, the Studio Tour is expected to attract 600,000 visitors a year and help generate in the region of £400m of tourism revenue over a 10-year period for Northern Ireland, supporting almost 200 jobs in the local area.
It will be located at Linen Mill Studios’ site near Banbridge. The multi-award-winning show, produced by HBO, was predominantly filmed in Northern Ireland with a significant portion of that being filmed at Linen Mill Studios between 2011 and 2019.
Andrew Webb, Director at Linen Mill Studios, said: “Momentum is now gathering towards the creation of one of the most exciting visitor attractions in Northern Ireland’s history, one that will draw thousands of visitors from near and far, provide a host of direct and indirect jobs and underpin Northern Ireland’s economy at a crucial time.
RELATED: Linen Mill Studios avails of £3.5m funding for the Game of Thrones Studio Tour
“The Game of Thrones Studio Tour has already generated huge excitement and interest among fans around the world and we expect it to play a significant part in rejuvenating the tourism sector on the island of Ireland in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.”
The company has agreed a £2m loan from the Growth Finance Fund and a £1.5m loan from Growth Loan Fund II, both of which are managed by Whiterock Finance.
Finance for the £30m Growth Finance Fund – which can provide loans to SMEs up to £2m - has been provided by the British Business Bank, Invest Northern Ireland and private investors, Northern Ireland Local Government Officers’ Superannuation Committee (NILGOSC).
Finance for the £30m Growth Loan Fund II is provided by Invest Northern Ireland and part funded by ERDF under the EU Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme 2014-2020.
David McCurley, director of Whiterock Finance, said: “The Game of Thrones Studio Tour is one of the more unique projects we have supported but it demonstrates the wide variety of businesses that continue to avail of both the Growth Finance Fund and Growth Loan Fund II.”
RELATED: Green Tourism: How the islands are open and welcoming to green visitors
