Osuna tourism rises on the scaly dragon back of Game of Thrones

The “Game of Thrones effect” continues unhindered. As the show prepares for its sixth season, Osuna, the Spanish town used for pivotal scenes in Dorne and the fighting pits of Meereen last season, is reporting the same economic boost that elevated Northern Ireland, Malta, and Croatia when the show shot in those locations. The Daily Express has a full rundown of the effects.

Seeing the details of the deal that allowed HBO to film in Osune is pretty fascinating: the town allowed production to shoot for free, provided they purchased materials and hire extras locally. (Somewhere between 500 and 600 extras were hired for the Daznak’s Pit sequence, which took about a month to prep.) This maneuver resulted in HBO spending €700,000 (approximately $770,000) on local vendors, accommodations and extras.

Reading between the lines, it seems Osuna knew that Thrones would bring a boost in tourism, and the town has certainly caught “Thrones fever.” The tourism office quadrupled in size (they now have four employees, up from a paltry one) and now has its hands full promoting local museum exhibits, walking tours, and special restaurant menus. The city is even planning a virtual-reality experience in the bullring featuring a flying dragon. Absent from this report is the news on unemployment, which was the highest in the country, at 35%, when the show began shooting there in October 2014. The Express has a quote from a local tour guide praising the show’s effects, but the jury’s still out on unemployment until the numbers are released.

Check the Express article for more, and compare to this Forbes article from October 2014 detailing the show’s earliest effects on the town as it began production there.