THE PEOPLE OF China have been getting a lesson on all things Irish.

It’s thanks to a documentary called Glamorous Ireland that has just been broadcast on the country’s main station, Chinese Central Television (CCTV-4).

The programme was broadcast at 7.15pm Beijing time (12.15pm Irish time) and lasted for forty five minutes.

It is estimated that the programme has been viewed by 80 million Chinese people both within China and abroad.

The view from Skellig Michael Shutterstock / Stefan Missing Shutterstock / Stefan Missing / Stefan Missing

A television crew was in Ireland in May to film at locations around the country. 

Its focus is mainly on culture and society in Ireland, with it filming taking place at the Cliff of Moher, Blarney Castle and Skellig Michael.

It is hoped that the broadcast will help to boost Chinese tourism into Ireland. Tourism Ireland, the organisation responsible for marketing Ireland overseas, has offices in a number of cities across China.

Blarney Castle in Co Cork Shutterstock / Patryk Kosmider Shutterstock / Patryk Kosmider / Patryk Kosmider

Speaking about this Niall Gibbons, the CEO of Tourism Ireland, said, “The ‘Glamorous Ireland’ documentary is the kind of publicity that money simply could not buy and is an excellent way of showcasing the island of Ireland to potential Chinese holidaymakers.”

It is hoped that the number of Chinese tourists coming into Ireland will be grown to 50,000 per year by 2017.

Last year, Ireland saw around 8.4 million overseas visitors coming into the country, generating a revenue of €4.1 billion.

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