The 2015 edition of TripBarometer, the world’s largest barometer of traveller sentiment, already revealed that TV tourism is rising, with one in five travellers choosing a destination based on what they saw on television shows. Coinciding with the end of season 6 of Game of Thrones on 26^th June, and the popularity this series has reached worldwide, TripAdvisor®, the travel planning and booking site, can reveal that, during the sixth season of the series, filmed almost entirely in Spain, seven filming locations in the country have experienced considerable growth in traffic, with an average increase in interest from travellers of 125%.¹

Campillo de Dueñas has registered the largest increase in interest from travellers around the globe, with 291% more traffic than last year on TripAdvisor. The nearby attraction, Castle of Zafra, where images of the Tower of Joy were filmed, has been the attraction to generate the most interest from travellers in 2016, increasing its web visits on the site by 488%. Other locations that have seen peaks in traffic this season of the series are the Bárdenas Reales of Navarra, Girona, Almería, Seville and Tudela.

Spanish filming locations for Game of Thrones which generated most increase in interest from travellers on TripAdvisor:

*Percentages rounded up from decimal points

Looking at previous years, it is interesting to see how prior seasons influenced traveller interest in the destinations that were being shown on those episodes. For example, Osuna experienced an increase of 44% in visits on TripAdvisor in 2015, when season 5 was being aired, which was partly filmed in their bullfighting ring. Córdoba also saw its traffic increase 17% during last season.

This trend of increased interest in Game of Thrones locations affects destinations elsewhere too, especially those in Croatia and Iceland.

International filming locations for Game of Thrones which generated most increase in interest from travellers on TripAdvisor:

*Percentages rounded up from decimal points

“This type of data analysis proves just how quickly television shows and series can potentially impact travel in specific destinations. Our December 2015 TripBarometer already confirmed the powerful effect television has in inspiring travellers”, says Hayley Coleman, spokesperson for TripAdvisor. “We have also seen a great number of Game of Thrones themed tours on our site. Travellers who are fans of the show can now book a GOT themed tour on TripAdvisor to experience the filming locations in Sevilla and Osuna first-hand, see the legendary Giants Causeway and Caves of Cushendun in Country Antrim (UK), or discover Dubrovnik and Split following in the footsteps of Robert Baratheon, Arya Stark or the Lannisters”.

Holidays in the Seven Kingdoms

For those wishing to spend their holidays in a Game of Thrones style, TripAdvisor highlights hotel rates on the site and cheapest months to visit these locations. TripAdvisor hotel rates below show that the best months to travel to almost all destinations are October and November, with the exception of Sevilla, where the cheapest month to travel in 2016 is August, with an average price per night of 67€.

Hotel prices in a selection of GOT filming locations (2016)

Methodology

¹ This analysis examined traffic data on TripAdvisor for searches for Game of Thrones filming locations to see which had experienced the largest increases in user traffic, taking into account the website´s natural growth, according to the increases year on year of international users. Data was compared for periods 1 January to 31^st of May of 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Searched on the website were analysed for hotels, attractions and each destination on the TripAdvisor site.

² Average prices for all hotels in the mentioned destinations for stays between the 1st of June 2016 and 31st of December 2016, as well as the cheapest month to travel in 2016.

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travellers to plan and book the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers advice from millions of travellers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools that check hundreds of websites to find hotel prices. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 340 million unique monthly visitors**, and 350 million reviews and opinions covering 6.5 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 48 markets worldwide.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP), through its subsidiaries, manages and operates websites under 24 other travel media brands:

www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com,www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com,www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl, www.besttables.com and www.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com,www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.housetrip.com, www.independenttraveler.com,www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com,www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com,www.viator.com, and www.virtualtourist.com.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, February 2016

**Source: TripAdvisor log files, Q1 2016