First it was Belfast Ireland (or “Winterfell”). Then, it was Reykjavik, Iceland (or “the Wall”) and Dubrovnik, Croatia (or, “King’s Landing.”) Now it’s the Basque Country’s turn to experience the “Game of Thrones” effect, or the exponential rise in tourism experienced by shooting locations of the HBO show.
The small island of Gaztelugatxe, located off the coast of Bermeo, Spain, is the “real-life” Dragonstone, the ancestral home of Daenerys Targayen. It’s a beautiful spot with a rugged coastline and a picturesque, winding staircase that leads to a small chapel—and one that caught the eye of millions of views after it got ample screen time in Season 7.
And now, set-jetters can’t get enough. El Pais reports that 75,000 tourists visited in July alone, and information requests about the site are up 21.58 percent from the year before.
The attention for “Dragonstone” is a double-edged sword. Take Iceland: The tourism boom helped the country rebound from its financial crisis, and now their currency is stronger than ever. But there’s been recent reports of overcrowding, rent surging, and a loss of “local” life. Same with Croatia: Although the local economy of Dubrovnik depends on foreign visitors, foot traffic is endangering its UNESCO world heritage status.
For now, though, all seems well and good on Gaztelugaxte. “The fact that they filmed Game of Thrones here has been a blessing,” an owner of a small souvenir shop says. “The seventh season has, I believe, doubled the number of tourists.” Local tourism groups are also looking into developing a sustainable model for the island, whether it’s charging a small fee or a tourist cap, or having one Drogon scare potential tourists away like he almost did Jon Snow. Eh, maybe only two of those are a good idea.
