‘Derry Girls’ tourism campaign had broadcast reach of nearly 9.5m and boosted visitors

Tourism Ireland’s drive to attract more holidaymakers to the city on the back of the hit Lisa McGee-penned sitcom resulted in a significant increase in visitors, the Department for the Economy has said.

The initiative is cited in a case study in the DfE’s new draft 10-year Tourism Strategy, which was published on Monday.

“With an average of 2.9m viewers per episode, TV series Derry Girls, has been an international success connecting to audiences through its humour and storytelling.

"In 2022, Tourism Ireland in GB sponsored the final series of the show on Channel 4 including creating idents around the broadcast and an online partnership with C4.

"Producing a creative infused with humour and aligned to the style of the show enabled Tourism Ireland to showcase Derry-Londonderry and NI as an exciting holiday destination,” the draft document states.

The 77 page paper indicates that the investment resulted in a significant uptick in people visiting the north west.

"The campaign delivered excellent results with a broadcast reach of 9.5m adults and a reach of over 41m impressions through video on demand driving 96k clicks through to the Ireland.com website.

"On social media, 9m Facebook impressions were delivered with 12.7m impressions on YouTube of the sponsorship. A follow up brand study demonstrated that 23 per cent of viewers claimed to have visited Ireland.com in the month following the sponsorship and consideration of NI as a holiday destination rose by 12 per cent,” the draft strategy outlines.

The report cites Derry Girls and Game of Thrones as evidence of the importance of screen tourism in the North.

Elsehwere, DfE officials pinpointed the Peace Bridge and Ebrington as a major draw for tourists with huge potential for further growth and development.

"The transformation of the former parade grounds into Ebrington Square, a world class events space attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to major events such as the Maritime and Halloween Festivals, BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend and hosted the Turner Prize during the UK City of Culture in 2013.

"The former soldier and officer accommodation quarters have been transformed into the stunning, Ebrington Hotel and Spa, which opened in June 2023.

"Three of the buildings flanking the hotel are soon to become the new Derry North Atlantic Maritime Museum with support from Tourism NI, Department for Communities and The Executive Office. Ebrington is a living demonstration of how tourism can not only protect our built environment, so it is enjoyed by residents and visitors alike, but in doing so create vibrant spaces which encourage creative industries to invest there as well,” the authors note.

Derry’s burgeoning food tourism industry is also hailed in the strategy. James and Louise Huey’s Walled City Brewery, established in Ebrington in 2015, gets a mention as another north west success story.

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"Housed in an historic military barracks, Walled City Brewery have crafted over 500 different beers with identifiable links to the city, and in 2022, opened new additions to enhance the visitor experience including a taproom which resulted in a 50 per cent uplift in revenue.

"Walled City Brewery are members of the Legenderry Food Network and active supporters of other entrepreneurial enterprises in the city, encouraging smart ideas in food and hospitality.

"Collaboration is equally important, collaborating with family-run business Foyle Bia Mara to host the UK & Ireland’s first ever Oyster & Stout Festival in February 2023, where everything was produced within a 15-mile radius.

"Further extending their appeal to visitors, Walled City Brewery offer a range of tasting experiences that celebrate the art of gin-making and rich history of brewing, including the Earhart Gin School, where visitors can design, distil and take home a bespoke gin recipe,” the document says.

The strategy suggests further tourist growth can be achieved by better links between Derry, the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route.

"Currently work is underway on an all-island Sustainability Certification programme, and opportunity to more seamlessly experience the North West by better aligning the offerings of the Causeway Costal Route, Derry/ Londonderry and Wild Atlantic Way,” it states.

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Other departments have important roles to play in delivering the tourism strategy, the DfE document adds.

The work of the Department for Communities, for example, in ‘supporting place-based regeneration, including significant interventions through the City and Regional Growth Deals in places such as Carrickfergus and Derry~Londonderry, provides places that are attractive to residents and visitors alike’.

And DfI’s delivery of the A6 road and improved transport connectivity is considered vital to the development of tourism.

According to DfE the draft strategy sets out ‘a vision that seeks to establish the North as a year-round world class destination which is renowned for its authentic experiences, landscape, heritage and culture and which benefits communities, the economy and the environment, with sustainability at its core’.

It will be a key enabler of the Department’s 10x Economic Vision to help position the region internationally as an attractive place to visit, DfE state, and is premised on five themes:

• Innovative and uses our creative skills;
• Inclusive by bringing opportunities for all;
• Sustainable for generations;
• Attractive to visitors and investors; and
• Collaborative to deliver a shared vision.

The document identifies the key challenges and opportunities for growth.

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During the development of the draft strategy, the Department engaged with stakeholders across government, its delivery partners Tourism NI and Tourism Ireland as well as other industry stakeholders.

The Department now wants all interested parties to consider the draft proposals for growth in the tourism sector. This is an opportunity to help shape the final strategy and next steps, it says.

Tourism NI will also be consulting with the tourism industry via a parallel process of industry engagement.

The public consultation is open for 10 weeks until Friday, January 12, 2024.

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