Just as alluring as the on-screen locations is the fact that they are all within easy reach for British viewers, with the Moroccan desert city of Ouarzazate the farthest flung. No major destination (two million or more annual visitors) has seen a sharper rise in arrivals this decade and Iceland now has around seven times more annual tourists than residents. Visitor numbers grew from just 500,000 in 2010 to more than 2m in 2017 – an increase of around 340 per cent.
The show has been cited as a key factor behind the remarkable growth in annual visitors to Iceland, for example. How many really sped to Albuquerque after watching Breaking Bad? However, when it comes to Game of Thrones, so enthralling is the fantasy world, so dramatic are the landscapes, and so die-hard the devotees, that claims by tourist boards about surges in visitors are entirely believable. The idea that tourists will flock to the filming locations of the latest blockbuster movie, or must-see TV drama, can sometimes feel a little far-fetched.
