Leaning Tower of Pisa to celebrate St Patrick's Day by turning green

London, Mar 17(ANI): The leaning tower of Pisa is the latest landmark to turn green for St Patrick's Day on Saturday.

Greening famous attractions is part of a promotional campaign that Tourism Ireland has been involved in over the past three years.

According to the its chief executive, Niall Gibbons, the aim is to capitalise on the unique opportunity that St Patrick's Day presents to boost visitor numbers on the island.

The leaning tower of Pisa and Niagara Falls are new additions to this year's campaign.

"We'll bring a smile to the faces of people around the globe and convey the message that Ireland offers the warmest of welcomes and plenty of fun, as well as spectacular scenery and cultural activities," the BBC quoted him as saying.

New York's Chrysler Building and the London Eye are among the famous attractions getting involved.

"We are absolutely delighted that so many well-known sites and attractions are eager to come on board with us and join in our celebration next weekend.

"People everywhere instantly identify St Patrick's Day with the island of Ireland and that heightened profile allows us to put our holiday experience in the spotlight around 17 March," he said.

In 2011, approximately 1.51 million overseas visitors came to Northern Ireland, an increase of 6 percent on the previous year.

"The saturation coverage about the island of Ireland this week - across the global airwaves, in newspapers and digital media - is an invaluable boost for our overall tourism marketing drive this year," Gibbons added. (ANI)