The 2012 tourism campaign for Northern Ireland has returned almost four times its original cost, says a new report.

Our Time, Our Place included a global marketing campaign in addition to staging events such as the Irish Open golf tournament and the MTV awards at a total cost of £11.2m

The independent study, commissioned by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, said that the overall tourism benefit was £42.2m, including money spent by local people and overseas tourists.

According to the report, and additional £17.8m was added to the Northern Irish economy, with an estimated £4.78 return for every pound invested, while the total impact to Northern Irish businesses amounted to £67.2m.

The campaign reportedly attracted one million visitors, including 350,000 from outside of the British Isles.

Republic of Ireland statistics show that trips by visitors to the north had increased from 370,000 to 430,000 in 2012.

The Northern Ireland tourist board also said that the campaign was designed to change the country's image abroad, estimating that almost £300m has been generated in positive PR coverage world-wide.