Northern ireland’s tourist board is planning to use hit TV show Game of Thrones – which was filmed in the country – in its quest to achieve record visitor numbers.

Much of the HBO series is filmed on location in Northern Ireland and as such will be used to promote the region, alongside the Giant's Causeway and Titanic Belfast.

The series has proved so popular that fans are travelling to Northern Ireland specifically to visit filming locations for the show.

Launching a Tourism Ireland strategy, enterprise minister Arlene Foster said she wants to increase overseas visitor numbers to more than 2 million a year by 2016.

"In order to attract new and repeat visitors, Tourism Ireland will be seeking to capitalise on the huge popularity of Game of Thrones,” said Foster. "It is essential Northern Ireland stands out from other destinations."

Tourism Ireland will also be wanting to capitalise on events including the official start of the Giro d'Italia bike race and the Clipper Yacht race, which are projected to bring in new visitors to the country.

Northern Ireland's contribution toward the tourism drive was quoted as £13.8m for 2014. The total cost of the campaign Ireland-wide is to reach £90m.

Tourism Ireland statistics indicate that 1.8m people will have visited Northern Ireland by the end of 2013 and growth in the sector, which employs around 54,000 people, is a Northern Ireland Executive priority .