Ireland Says “May The Tourism Force Be With You”

If you become excited with the thought of seeing Ireland castles, there is now more reason to visit the land of the saints and scholars. You can get to be in the land where the movie Stars Wars: The Force Awakens was filmed.

According to recent reports, the filming of two Stars Wars film in the country has given the local tourism industry a great boost. This has allowed them to generate an additional income of €4 million. The Tourism Ireland says that they will be taking advantage of this and will continue to market Ireland in connection with the movie Stars Wars.

The Force Awakens was the reason that Skellig was able to record its most successful tourist season; 2016 income was their best results so far. The other movie, the Stars Wars: The Last Jedi, which is set to film in Donegal, Malin Head, and Mizen Head in Cork, is expected to drive 2017 just like the last film, although this is yet to be released in December 2017.

Although the government may be benefiting with the additional income brought about by the two films, some individuals have raised their concerns since one of the filming sites, Skellig Michael, was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site; This has been reconstructed for the filming.

Officials seem unperturbed by the news. Fáilte Ireland is more concerned that visitors only get to see the area for  a limited time because of the short visitor season. They are now concentrating on how to increase visitors’ dwell time in the region. The officials are also planning to launch other tourism efforts such as one that is inspired by the Skellig Monks. Other plans may include allowing tourists to hear the Irish talk in their native tongue as well as treating them to Irish music.

How about you? Are you interested to see the location where Star Wars was filmed? Or how about a look at some of the Ireland Castles perhaps? Now, you can save on accommodation – check out HomeAway.com for great deals.