Airport rebranded as home of ‘Westeros’ for Thrones fans
PASSENGERS arriving at Belfast International Airport for the festive season were left in no doubt that ‘winter is coming’ as the terminal was taken over by denizens of Westeros — the fictional home of Game Of Thrones.
As Christmas approaches, hundreds of thousands of travellers heading to and from Northern Ireland will have to double-check their tickets after the terminal was renamed Westeros Airport’
With 5.8m people passing through the airport annually, travellers during December will be greeted with a large ‘Welcome to Westeros’ sign on their arrival.
The airport takeover celebrates Northern Ireland’s involvement as a major filming location for the HBO fantasy show, and also marks the release of Season 7 on Blu-ray and DVD.
Production of the global hit has been based in Belfast since the first season, with the show filming in various locations including the Causeway Coast and Glens, and other sites to the north of Belfast, as well as south into Quoile and the majestic Mourne Mountains.
Moyra Lock, head of marketing at Northern Ireland Screen, said: “HBO UK’s official renaming of the Belfast’s International Airport is a fantastic opportunity to cement Northern Ireland as the home of Game of Thrones.
“The show has spearheaded a growing screen tourism phenomenon and we’re delighted to welcome all fans and travellers officially to Westeros this December.
“The series has catapulted Northern Ireland into the premier league of global production locations and a huge legacy for the screen industry will be the local and highly skilled crewbase with vast experience on a show of size and scale that has the highest production values on television today.”