SINGAPORE, June 17, 2016 – 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 next June 27^th, and the popularity this series has reached worldwide, TripAdvisor®, the travel planning and booking site, has developed a comparison of traffic data to analyse the effects of the show on filming locations among travellers. The data has revealed that, during the sixth season of the series, filmed almost entirely in Spain, seven 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 been the Spanish town to register the largest increase in interest from travellers around the globe, with 291% more traffic than last year on TripAdvisor. The nearby attraction, Castillo de 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 de Navarra, Girona, Almería, Sevilla 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 in 2015 an increase of 44% in visits on TripAdvisor, 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 other international destinations, especially those in Croatia and Iceland.

Other 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. According to our December 2015 TripBarometer, we already confirmed the powerful effect television has in inspiring travellers”, says Blanca Zayas, 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 on TripAdvisor a GOT themed tour to experience first-hand the filming locations in Sevilla and Osuna, see the legendary Giant’s 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 offers the possibility to compare prices and book hotels in these locations. Some examples 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 $75.

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

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Methodology

¹This 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.

²Average 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.

3Prices have been converted from Euro to USD via xe.com on 15 Jun 2016.