Skellig Michael offers Star Wars boost for Irish tourism
POSTED 05 Jan 2016 . BY Tom Anstey
Skellig Michael is at the heart of Ireland's Star Wars tourism push
Ireland’s tourism body is hoping for a boost off the back of the phenomenal success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as fans of the franchise begin to flock to the island of Skellig Michael which played a key role in the blockbuster film.
Skellig Michael – which appeared in a key scene at the end of the first instalment of the new trilogy and will be featured in the second release – has been receiving more attention in recent weeks following the film’s release.
Tourism officials for Ireland are hoping to capitalise on the boom in popularity, turning the UNESCO World Heritage Site into a Star Wars hotspot.
Tourism Ireland has teamed up with Lucasfilm, releasing a promo video with the crew and director JJ Abrams, discussing why the location was selected. The video has so far attracted 168,000 hits in its first 24 hours of being online.
The decision to allow filming to take place on Skellig Michael generated some controversy in 2014 with concerns raised over potential damage. However, a report found that filming on the island had “no adverse impact on seabirds, their habitats or other biodiversity”.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been breaking box office records around the world, bringing the magnificent scenery of Skellig Michael and the Wild Atlantic Way to the attention of millions of people everywhere,” said Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland.
“Tourism Ireland is taking every opportunity to capitalise on the publicity around the film, to help whet peoples’ appetites to come and visit.”
Abu Dhabi is planning to piggyback off the success of the recently-released Star Wars
movie, using the setting for the remote planet of Jakku from Star Wars: The Force
Awakens as a prime tourist destination.
Hollywood Studios at Disney World Florida has debuted its new Star Wars
attraction – the largest land expansion in company history – opening just ahead of the
movie premiere for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which hits cinemas on 18 December.
Discovery Times Square has teamed with the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (LMoNA)
and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) to bring a temporary
Star Wars exhibition to New York.
Anthony Daniels, the only person to appear in all seven Star Wars films where he
portrayed protocol droid C3PO, is set to star at this year’s annual Storytelling Architecture
Technology Experience (SATE) Conference kicks off in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania next
week.
Off the back of the success of the first round of Everyday Heritage Grants in 2022, Historic
England is funding 56 creative projects that honour the heritage of working-class England.
Universal has revealed it will be adding new Harry Potter attractions, alongside Super Nintendo
and How to Train Your Dragon worlds to its Florida resort.
Skellig Michael offers Star Wars boost for Irish tourism
POSTED 05 Jan 2016 . BY Tom Anstey
Skellig Michael is at the heart of Ireland's Star Wars tourism push
Ireland’s tourism body is hoping for a boost off the back of the phenomenal success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as fans of the franchise begin to flock to the island of Skellig Michael which played a key role in the blockbuster film.
Skellig Michael – which appeared in a key scene at the end of the first instalment of the new trilogy and will be featured in the second release – has been receiving more attention in recent weeks following the film’s release.
Tourism officials for Ireland are hoping to capitalise on the boom in popularity, turning the UNESCO World Heritage Site into a Star Wars hotspot.
Tourism Ireland has teamed up with Lucasfilm, releasing a promo video with the crew and director JJ Abrams, discussing why the location was selected. The video has so far attracted 168,000 hits in its first 24 hours of being online.
The decision to allow filming to take place on Skellig Michael generated some controversy in 2014 with concerns raised over potential damage. However, a report found that filming on the island had “no adverse impact on seabirds, their habitats or other biodiversity”.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been breaking box office records around the world, bringing the magnificent scenery of Skellig Michael and the Wild Atlantic Way to the attention of millions of people everywhere,” said Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland.
“Tourism Ireland is taking every opportunity to capitalise on the publicity around the film, to help whet peoples’ appetites to come and visit.”
Abu Dhabi is planning to piggyback off the success of the recently-released Star Wars
movie, using the setting for the remote planet of Jakku from Star Wars: The Force
Awakens as a prime tourist destination.
Hollywood Studios at Disney World Florida has debuted its new Star Wars
attraction – the largest land expansion in company history – opening just ahead of the
movie premiere for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which hits cinemas on 18 December.
Discovery Times Square has teamed with the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (LMoNA)
and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) to bring a temporary
Star Wars exhibition to New York.
Anthony Daniels, the only person to appear in all seven Star Wars films where he
portrayed protocol droid C3PO, is set to star at this year’s annual Storytelling Architecture
Technology Experience (SATE) Conference kicks off in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania next
week.
Off the back of the success of the first round of Everyday Heritage Grants in 2022, Historic
England is funding 56 creative projects that honour the heritage of working-class England.
Universal has revealed it will be adding new Harry Potter attractions, alongside Super Nintendo
and How to Train Your Dragon worlds to its Florida resort.
Populous have unveiled their plans for a state-of-the-art e-sports arena, designed to stand as a
central landmark in Qiddaya City’s gaming and e-sports district, Saudi Arabia.