BELFAST firm McComb's Coach Travel is raising the roof to celebrate 20 years in business - with a new £105,000 glass-top coach, the first of its kind in Ireland.
Purchased to facilitate further expansion of its popular 'Games of Thrones' tours, the investment has lead to four new jobs for drivers and tour guides ahead of a busy schedule on the revamped 'Winterfell' tour - where the new stars on set are Co Down 'direwolves'.
Company director Caroline McComb said the decision to add home-grown 'wolves' to the Game of Thrones experience in Newcastle, Co Down, was in response to requests from fascinated passengers.
"Some of the Game of Thrones customers are diehard enthusiasts and wanted the experience to be as authentic as possible," she explained. "Now, along with stunning views offered by the new EVM cabriolet which has retractable glass sides and roof, visitors can hop off and get their photos taken with the 'direwolves' which are an integral part of the show."
The extended Winterfell tour - which runs along the original 'Westeros' tour along the Causeway coastal route - comes on the back of a five-star rating by Tourism NI and the launch of a new 'spa tour' and 'Grub Crawl' showcasing home-grown artisan food and drink.
"We felt it was important to cater for local visitors as well as those from overseas, and judging by the popularity of our regular shopping trips to Kildare Village, as well as the Giant's Causeway trips, we thought it was time to increase the 'day out' offering to the local market," Caroline said.
"There is a big appetite for day tours at the moment and we have a second new vehicle in 'build' mode to cope with growing demand.
"Last year we invested over £1m to purchase four more top-of-the-range custom-made coaches - the days of mini bus tours are long over; people want luxurious coaches with comfortable seats and added extras like electrical sockets and Wi-Fi.
"The aim is to use them for weddings and corporate and novelty events, as the design is really something special - it is the only vehicle of its type in the whole of Ireland as we signed an exclusivity contract with the supplier."
The idea to bring "something different" to the tourism coach sector was prompted by the reaction Caroline and husband Bob received from delighted football fans when they rebranded the exterior of conventional coaches to include a slogan 'salute' to the Northern Ireland team.
"As the coach company of choice for the IFA, we wanted to do something to salute the team after qualifying for France," Caroline said, "so we added a dedicated section for well-known slogans such as 'We're not Brazil, we're Northern Ireland'.
"The response was phenomenal so it got us thinking about doing other things differently - hence the new glass-top coach."
Having been 'on the road' with Games of Thrones since the first pilot in Northern Ireland in 2009, McComb Coach Travel transports cast and crew to various filming locations across the north - as well as the hundreds of fans who fly in from America, France, Australia and New Zealand to visit the Northern Ireland sets.
Currently running 10 luxury coaches and four cars with a payroll of 20 staff, it has been something of a long and winding road for founder Rodney who first began offering self-styled private tours on his lone people carrier in the 1990s.
A former taxi driver, he officially started the business in 1996, but was undeterred by the various 'no-go' areas around Belfast.
And when journalists, researchers, backpackers and the odd thrill seeker discovered he was willing to travel to the unlikely tourist 'hot-spots', business really started to pick up.
"At that stage Rodney was an unofficial tour guide as well as a driver and the passengers loved it because he told great stories and knew the history of the areas he took them to," Caroline said.
"Once, he found a woman crying in the back of his mini coach after they had by-passed a riot and the usual checkpoints.
"He was worried it had all been too much for her, but it turned out she had just been incredibly moved by the spirit of the Northern Ireland people and how, despite everything, we just keep moving on.
"It was lovely to have that resilience recognised back then - I'm sure she wouldn't recognise the more scenic locations today."
