Sometimes fan dedication and determination can pay off. A Game of Thrones fan visits many filming locations in Croatia.
With its constant sun, endless coastline and seemingly limitless picturesque islands, the tourism script on Croatia’s Adriatic coast almost writes itself, but as one dedicated fan showed on October 14, 2015, there are other reasons why people from all over the world are now flocking to Croatia.
Think News Zealand and Lord of the Rings, for the emerging tourism benefit for Croatia from the filming of hit HBO series Game of Thrones is already manifesting itself, as fans travel to filming locations such as Dubrovnik, Split and Klis to breathe the same air as the stars of the show. The show, which has become synonymous with Croatia after several series of filming there, has brought awareness of Croatia and its tourism to a global market in a way that few effective marketing campaigns could.
A new industry of Game of Thrones tours – and even a Game of Thrones theme park – has not only emerged, but blossomed, fans are keen to not only see the locations of the filming, but also experience a slice of Croatia’s beauty along the way.
While many choose the convenience of the organised tours, which guarantee the locations, background information and a slice of Croatia’s natural beauty along the way, some go solo, with varying degrees of success. Some locations, such as in Dubrovnik, are easy to find, the streets within Split’s magnificent UNESCO Diocletian’s Palace less so. Few will have had the determination or success of Asta Skujytė-Razmienė, whose post on her trip to Game of Thrones locations has already gone viral on Bored Panda, having only been posted yesterday.
Skujytė-Razmienė posted “If you are a fan of something, sometimes you have to turn on the “hardcore mode” – just like my husband and I. This summer in Croatia, we traced the filming locations of popular TV series “Game of Thrones”.
“Some places were really easy to find – Dubrovnik, for example, is just like one huge filming set. But other spots (like streets in Split) we found either after a looong search or just stumbled upon by an accident. I want to share the result of our “scene hunt” hoping that it will inspire others to do this same!”
What followed was a spectacular collection of paired location shots, one from Game of Thrones, one from her own discovery. True dedication, and the the entire collection can be viewed here.
