The long-awaited prequel to Game of Thrones is finally here. While fans have been waiting excitedly for House of the Dragon's premiere over the weekend, several countries in Europe are arguably even more excited.
After three years, House of the Dragon is finally here, and several regions in Europe are bracing for what they hope is an invasion of such proportions that would make even the Night King quiver. According to Deadline, the tourism boards of Spain and Portugal, as well as two regions in England—Cornwall and Peak District—are watching the premiere of the new Game of Thrones prequel very closely. Filming for the show took place in these locations, and locals are hoping that, as with previous fantasy properties, they bring a flood of tourists.
Malcolm Bell, the chief executive of a Cornwall tourist organization, said to the British newspaper The Guardian that local landmarks including St. Michael's Mount, Mounts Bay, and Holywell Beach all appear in the show, according to Deadline. In Derbyshire, England, tourist boards are already designing tours to the epic landscapes of Stanage and Curbar, as well as the centuries-old village of Hollinsclough and the nearby Dragon's Back Ridge mountain range. Locals also expect tourists to flock to Monsanto, Portugal, whose stone architecture and boulder-filled streets look like something pulled straight out of a fantasy book. And in Spain, the towns of Cáceres and Trujillo in the Extremadura region, which were used for external shots of King's Landing, and La Calahorra castle are expected to be big hits with fans of Westeros.
While these areas prepare for the hoped-for mass pilgrimage of tourists, it remains to be seen if House of the Dragon will perform anywhere near as well as its predecessor. While the show had been the most successful television show of its time, the lackluster final season of Game of Thrones left almost all of its devoted fans feeling betrayed and bitter. Three years after the botched finale, however, HBO likely hopes that its fans will have forgiven the show and be ready to return to the world of Westeros.
But even if House of the Dragon has a disappointing premiere, it will almost certainly increase tourism to some degree. The iconic Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movies transformed New Zealand's reputation and revolutionized the country's tourism industry. Still today, two decades later, several of the films' sets have been preserved for tourists, and tours of the filming locations are very popular.
Likewise, Game of Thrones worked its own magic on the tourism industries of Northern Ireland, Croatia, and Iceland, where the series was filmed. Given this historical precedent, Spain, Portugal, and England are hoping to become the next fantasy land for travelers from all over the world.
House of the Dragon is available to stream on HBO Max.
Source: Deadline