Tourism Ireland has announced plans to invest over €500,000 on marketing campaigns that leverage the Oscar-nominated film, The Banshees of Inisherin overseas.
The film, apart from earning rave reviews, and garnering several nominations and wins at prestigious international awards has also revived interest in the West Coast of Ireland.
In December 2022, it was reported that Tourism Ireland’s behind-the-scenes mini film had mustered up nearly 6 million views and had gone viral. (Currently, the views are totalling nearly 10.6 million). It was a promotional video for Banshees of Inisherin, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the critically-acclaimed movie. Starring Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell, Barry Keoghan, Kerry Condon, Pat Shortt and John Kenny, the film has reignited interest in the tourism potential of this part of Ireland, with the region gearing up to welcome a record number of tourists this year.
Many regional tourism boards have also come up with locations-trails, providing tourists with tour guides and detailed information on all the shooting locations. For example, Achill Tourism’s Locations Trail has a exhaustive guide offering photographs, interesting details and insider knowledge of the many locations where the movie was filmed.
Till late 2022, €250,000 was spent on promotional activity based around Banshees of Inisherin, with €73,000 spent so far this year. Press trips and a separate publicity push resulted in coverage worth €2.2 million in EAV (equivalent advertising value).
A spokesperson said it is now planning “another push in the run-up to the Oscars” with a budget of €200,000.
Tourism Ireland’s budget for 2023 is €78 million.
