Hotel bookings in the desert town of Ouarzazate, Morocco have experienced a 100 percent spike since the season premiere of “Game of Thrones,” the epic fantasy TV series that has garnered a cult following around the world.
Hotels set in filming locations such Ouarzazate, also known as the ‘door of the desert,’ and Iceland are seeing a noticeable spike in bookings since the third season of the HBO series started on March 31 in the US.
The same trend was observed when season two featured settings from Dubrovnik: hotels in the Croatian city likewise spiked 28 percent in 2012.
While Ouarzazate has seen a 100 percent increase, Iceland — also the site of some of the show’s medieval scenes — saw a modest 13 percent hike in bookings.
The Ouarzazate area is a popular area for filmmakers, and has set the scene for other epic films such as the 1962 version of “Lawrence of Arabia” with Peter O’Toole, “The Mummy,” and Russell Crowe’s “Gladiator.”
