millions of people now travel to filming locations. A lucrative market in Spain: Here are some filming locations of the series “Game of Thrones”, the last season of the series starts now, for example.
A grey wall meanders through the sea. It connects the small island of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe with the coast. From a distance, the wall looks almost like the tail of a dragon that is in the water. Fans of “Game of Thrones” didn’t need it for this comparison, a lot of imagination, because in the series the island is finally, “Dragonstone”, the family seat of the Targaryens.
Qi Chuan made a special trip here to see the famous film location from the vicinity. The Chinese studied in Germany, but a semester abroad in Madrid. “This is a special experience that is once in the scene, we know from the series,” he says.
almost An hour of walk will take you from the Parking lot down to the coast. It goes up on the grey wall to the island and there are around 240 stairs. All look noticeably smaller here than in “Game of Thrones,” says Qi. The large buildings in the series on the island, are just computer animations: “There is a very large castle on the island. But now you only see a small Church. Nevertheless, it is very beautiful here.”
As the namesake of the island had already suspected, that even scenes of the most successful television series in the world. The Basque word “Gaztelugatxe” means “castle on the rocks”.
In reality is San Juan de Gaztelugatxe only a small chapel. In “Game of Thrones” perched “Dragonstone” on the island.
“It’s unbelievable!”
Who rings the bell of the little chapel three times, must wish for something; moreover, evil spirits are expelled. As a Sage. Álvaro and Maria are to come from Málaga, in southern Spain, to visit this place.They were big Fans of the series and always wanted to “Dragonstone”. “I don’t think it’s great here, because it is just so crowded. So we can enjoy the experience in peace and quiet, it’s unbelievable!”
in fact, a few vacationers to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, which is also due to the unpredictable weather on the Spanish Atlantic coast come in the spring.
Full of it is in the summer. It’s Numbers are in circulation, according to which, before the “Game of Thrones”Hype about 2000 visitors a year came to the small island; after the shooting, in 2017 there were around 150,000.
The Basque country has become with tourists even without the “Game of Thrones” is becoming more popular, says Begoña Gangoiti.
Irritation about the Instagramerin
Begoña Gangoiti head of the tourism office in Bermeo, the municipality of the island. She sees the film the tourist is critical. Two weeks ago, it had taken in San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, a young girl, “a Instagramerin probably.” The have called: “‘Oh, look, since Dragonstone is!’ I turned around and said: ‘no, no! The San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, where ‘Dragonstone’ was shot.’ People need to learn what is fiction and reality.”
Begoña believes that the increased visitor numbers not only due to “Game of Thrones”. The Basque country is since long been an interesting choice for holidaymakers, especially since the terrorist organization ETA in 2011, laid down arms, and in the last year, has dissolved. Who, for example, the famous Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao visits, make a trip to the Basque coast with a stop in San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.
The seaside town of Bermeo has been set to the “Game of Thrones”guests. The innkeepers in the village of scented after the shooting a business and tried to connect the series with the famous cuisine of the Region, with Pintxos, the Basque Tapas.
The eighth and final season of the award-winning Fantasy Saga will be aired today in the USA. Starting tomorrow, she runs in Germany.
pub crawl for season start
As of 2017, the seventh season of the series was released, and started the bar owner a “Game of Thrones”Pintxos Route through the village. In every Shop there was a different Pintxo, which was always tailored to a character of the series. From the point of view of Stefan Roesch, the people in Bermeo have done everything right, by thinking of activities for Fans of “Game of Thrones”. Roesch is an expert in tourism around series and movies. The German has written several books on the subject, and a PhD in film tourism.
It is not sufficient to market a destination through a movie or a series, he says. If the Fans come, they wanted to have an experience have something to do with the world of film: “It comes to products to experiences on-site, you can offer to the Fans.” The lack of most of the time.
guides can, For example, at the filming locations – ideally with insiders, who were involved in the film production and will tell you what is happening behind the Scenes. Such offers there are, for example, in the Catalan city of Girona and Seville in Andalusia, where it is also the “Game of Thrones”scenes were filmed.
Maisie Williams, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner and Isaac Hempstead (left) with the play since the first episode.
“A Chance, which has Spain”
Spain have adjusted well to film the tourist, says expert Eugeni Osácar from Barcelona: “It is a challenge and an opportunity, Spain. To create a varied range of film tourists – and for all these tourists.” Because not everyone expect the same: Some wanted to generally see the city, in which a Film was shot – others wanted to visit the filming locations and Selfies, to publish in social networks.
