Iconic landmarks around the world are set to turn green as part of ambitious new plans unveiled by Tourism Ireland to help celebrate St Patrick's Day on 17 March.

Sydney Opera House, Australia; the London Eye; the Empire State Building, New York, US, and the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada, are among a number of sites that will undergo "greening" to help promote Irish tourism. The scheme forms part of Tourism Ireland's wider efforts to market the island of Ireland in a bid to boost inbound tourism, which has suffered a downturn in recent months due to the recession.

In Britain, the agency is planning to make St Patrick's Day one of the largest consumer events, with a programme of events and promotions designed to celebrate Irish culture, genealogy and sport. Events are also planned to encourage tourism growth in the US, European, Chinese, Indian and South African markets as part of Tourism Ireland's bid to increase inbound visitor numbers by 3 per cent during 2010.

Tourism Ireland chief executive Niall Gibbons said: "The agreement to allow us to "green" such iconic buildings and attractions must be a first for any destination and clearly illustrates the goodwill that the Ireland brand generates across the world. "We will use every opportunity to capitalise on Ireland's heightened profile to showcase the uniqueness of a holiday on the island - the diversity of our culture and heritage and the friendliness of our people."

Image: Sydney Opera House is one landmark set to undergo "greening" for St Patrick's Day