Northern Ireland 's tourism board is hitting back at actor Kit Harington after the Game of Thrones heartthrob cracked a few jokes at the expense of its capital city . Harington , who plays the character Jon Snow , poked fun at Belfast and tourism bosses when he appeared on a late-night chat show to promote the HBO series ’ return to TV screens . The 28-year-old Londoner joked to host Seth Myers that Belfast is ‘ wonderful for two or three days ’ and emphasized that he has spent five years filming in the city , drawing laughter from a studio audience . Scroll down for video . Game of Thrones star Kit Harington told host Seth Myers that Belfast is 'wonderful for two or three days ' Northern Ireland is a principal filming location for Game of Thrones , which has a studio in Belfast , and fans travel from all corners of the world to visit beauty spots where scenes are shot . Tourism bosses have leveraged the show ’ s popularity to draw visitors and they said it has helped Belfast to become one of the most popular city break destinations in the UK . In a brief exchange on Monday night ’ s show Myers , host of Late Night with Seth Myers , which airs on NBC in the US , pointed out that Game of Thrones films in ‘ a lot of incredible locations ’ , including Croatia and Spain . He added : ‘ Your part isn ’ t in the nice places . What would you say to the traveller going to Belfast , or the tourist going to Belfast ? ’ The Londoner plays the character Jon Snow on the HBO programme , which is set to return for a fifth series . Harington said : ‘ It ’ s wonderful for two or three days. ’ Myers said : ‘ And you ’ ve been there for years ? ’ Drawing more laughter from the audience , Harington replied : ‘ Five years . No , I have to be careful about what I say. ’ Harington added : ‘ They ’ ve got a wonderful tourist board . They celebrate three things , which is having the most bombed hotel in Europe , which is great … and they built the Titanic , which is a ship that sunk on its maiden voyage and now they have Game of Thrones , the most depressing TV show in history . So it ’ s a wonderful , depressing tourist board. ’ Host Seth Myers did n't include Belfast when he identified Game of Thrones ' 'incredible ' filming locations . Harington , appearing on Late Night with Seth Myers , said Belfast has a 'wonderful , depressing ' tourism board . In response to the interview a Tourism Northern Ireland spokeswoman said the filming of Game of Thrones as a ‘ key asset and a key area for growth in Northern Ireland. ’ The spokeswoman told MailOnline Travel : 'Belfast and Northern Ireland is recognised as a great short break destination . 'Belfast was recently voted , for a fourth consecutive year by TripAdvisor , as one of the UK ’ s top 10 best destinations among travellers from around the world . 'In recent years significant investment into our tourism infrastructure has created unique visitor experiences . This includes Titanic Belfast which was recently named Europe ’ s number one visitor attraction and since it ’ s opening in 2012 has exceeded visitor number expectations , attracting over two million visitors from across 145 countries . ' Tourism bosses said Titanic Belfast has attracted more than two million visitors from 145 countries . The Dark Hedges in Country Antrim is one of the most recognisable filming locations from Game of Thrones . Belfast was named the seventh best city break in the UK in this year ’ s TripAdvisor Travellers ’ Choice Awards . A spokeswoman for Visit Belfast added : ‘ The success of big budget film and TV productions locating to Northern Ireland has provided the tourism industry with a unique and priceless opportunity to promote both our city and our spectacular rural setting to a truly global audience . ‘ Belfast ’ s Titanic story and the filming of Game of Thrones at stunning sites across Northern Ireland have provided a powerful combination in attracting growing numbers to both Belfast and Northern Ireland over recent years . ‘ Just as Titanic Belfast has become the city ’ s most popular visitor attraction , Game of Thrones , in its success , has created a demand for a growing number of tourism enterprises from bus tours , walking trails to activities such as archery and banquets . ‘ All these complement the range of attractions , activities and events , great food and hospitality that Belfast and Northern Ireland already offers the short break visitor. ’ Harington isn ’ t the first person affiliated with Game of Thrones to stir up controversy with comments about Belfast . Last year HBO ’ s president of programming , Michael Lombardo , apologised after he told US magazine Vulture that the show ’ s producers were struggling to adapt to life there . He said : 'It 's a little bit of a personal challenge I do n't think they contemplated when we initially found our location in Belfast , what that meant for them personally… Belfast is not the most cosmopolitan of cities to spend half of the year . ' He added : ' I do n't think they have a hard time , but the good news is work keeps them busy , let 's just say that . '
Actor Kit Harington made the comments on Late Night with Seth Myers . He said Belfast is 'wonderful for half of the year , drawing laughter . Harington plays the character Jon Snow on the hit HBO programme . He appeared on the talk show to promote Game of Thrones ' new series .