Tourism draw for Ireland on silver screen

In a visitor attitude survey carried out by Fáilte Ireland in 2010, 20% of overseas visitors said their holiday decisions were influenced by film and television. Film tourism, or “set-jetting”, has become big business by raising the awareness of previously little known tourist destinations, and prompting a surge of visitors to their locations.

In 2009’s Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince, a dazzling sequence filmed at Clare’s Cliffs of Moher showing Harry and Professor Dumbledore flying across the towering natural edifice became a YouTube hit even before the film was released. “This type of exposure is invaluable for the profile of the Cliffs of Moher worldwide, and a massive boost to tourism,” said Katherine Webster, director of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience.

Ryan’s Daughter (Kerry)