Hope Street draws overseas tourists to Northern Ireland filming town
Hope Street has turned Donaghadee into a stop for visitors from Australia and the United States, with the BBC saying the seaside town now attracts tourists because of the drama.
Hope Street has pulled Australians and Americans to Donaghadee, the County Down harbour town that stands in for fictional Port Devine on the Northern Ireland coast. The BBC says the series, which began in 2021, has been popular not only across the UK but overseas, turning its seafront, colourful houses, lighthouse and harbour views into part of the town’s appeal.
The Northern Irish police drama was created by Paul Marquess and Susanne Farrell and follows the arrival of English Detective Constable Leila Hussain. It was commissioned by BBC Daytime and BritBox North America, and the BBC said in 2021 that it was being made for BBC One afternoons, a sign from the outset that the show was built for audiences beyond one market.
That reach now feeds directly into Donaghadee’s visitor economy. BBC reporting on the town says tourists have been drawn there because of Hope Street, with Australians and Americans singled out alongside UK viewers. Local promotion in Ards and North Down has reinforced that connection by steering visitors toward the real-life Port Devine, where the series is filmed.
For businesses in and around the harbour, the benefit is tied to recognition rather than a single attraction. Donaghadee’s streets, waterfront and harbour are now part of a screen-driven itinerary that brings in visitors who already know the setting from television, giving cafes, shops and tour operators a stronger hook than scenery alone. The effect depends on whether that audience keeps coming after the novelty of the series fades.
The town also has a heritage story that sits comfortably beside the television link. Donaghadee’s lighthouse has guided ships safely into the harbour since 1821, adding a century-old landmark to the same coastline that viewers now associate with Hope Street. That combination of screen visibility and maritime history has helped the town market itself as more than a filming location, but as a place with its own identity behind the fiction.
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