How shows like Game of Thrones and Outlander drive world tourism

Outlander is filmed in the majestic landscapes of Scotland. And it is for this precise reason (and my immense love for the show), that I planned an entire trip there around filming locations. I hit every town and city that I’ve seen on Outlander, which for a brief, passing moment, made me feel like I was a part of the show’s history in some way.

It’s exactly that feeling that attracts tourists from all over the world to visit countries where their favorite movies and shows were filmed. There’s something to be said about that natural high you get when you realize you’re standing in the very spot an iconic scene was filmed.

Dubrovnik, Croatia, for example, was used as a filming locations for King’s Landing on Game of Thrones. And since the series premiered in 2011, millions of tourists have flocked to there. And anyone that did has most definitely gone on Cersei’s infamous “Walk of Shame.”

The numbers speak for themselves. Last year, Northern Ireland’s Tourism NI reported nearly 350,000 people come to visit just because Game of Thrones was filmed in the country.

In 2018, Olsberg SPI, a strategy consulting firm, conducted research and found shows like Outlander, Poldark, The Crown and Game of Thrones were a huge reason for tourists coming to the U.K. These tourists collectively spent about £266 million ($348 million), which in turn created 5,990 full-time jobs. How crazy is that?!

Just last year, I went to Iceland, and one of the first things I signed up for was a Game of Thrones tour that took us to the filming locations seen in “Beyond the Wall.” And of course, Iceland isn’t the only country to have such tours. At this point, if you’re visiting an iconic filming location, you can pretty much expect to find a tour that will take you where you want to go to. It’s fun to be stuffed in a bus full of other fans that are geeking out as much as you are.

Like I said, there’s no better feeling than standing in the fictional Lallybroch from Outlander or in the middle of a city that was once dressed up as King’s Landing. The connection we build with movies and TV shows is pretty remarkable.

Having said that, the increasing number of tourists can also have a negative impact on the natural lands of these locations.

So, while we are eager to pay homage to our favorite shows and movies, it’s important to be respectful of the places and the people living there.

Or else, TV and film tourism may quickly become a thing of the past. And we wouldn’t want that, would we?

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h/t Variety