Ireland’s tourism body is hoping for a boost off the back of the phenomenal success of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as fans of the franchise begin to flock to the island of Skellig Michael which played a key role in the blockbuster film.

Skellig Michael – which appeared in a key scene at the end of the first instalment of the new trilogy and will be featured in the second release – has been receiving more attention in recent weeks following the film’s release.

Tourism officials for Ireland are hoping to capitalise on the boom in popularity, turning the UNESCO World Heritage Site into a Star Wars hotspot.

Tourism Ireland has teamed up with Lucasfilm, releasing a promo video with the crew and director JJ Abrams, discussing why the location was selected. The video has so far attracted 168,000 hits in its first 24 hours of being online.

In addition to the video, Tourism Ireland has created a dedicated website for Star Wars fans, as Northern Ireland did for Game of Thrones with great success, pin-pointing where filming locations were and how to reach them with ease.

The decision to allow filming to take place on Skellig Michael generated some controversy in 2014 with concerns raised over potential damage. However, a report found that filming on the island had “no adverse impact on seabirds, their habitats or other biodiversity”.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been breaking box office records around the world, bringing the magnificent scenery of Skellig Michael and the Wild Atlantic Way to the attention of millions of people everywhere,” said Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland.

“Tourism Ireland is taking every opportunity to capitalise on the publicity around the film, to help whet peoples’ appetites to come and visit.”