One of the most popular reasons why tourists throng certain destinations worldwide is to see in reality the iconic film locations where some of their favourite movies and tele-serials were shot – as in Switzerland, Croatia, S Korea

What do Dubrovnik, Iseltwald, Waikato town of Matamata and Krong Siem Reap have in common? What could tie these places together even though they are located on different continents? Quite strangely, the common lures are the iconic portrayal of locations in these destinations on the small screen as well as the silver screen.

From Game of Thrones, to Crash Landing on You, from the Lord of the Rings movie series to the cult classic Mortal Kombat, travellers are visiting these locations to experience themselves the exhilaration of being in the same locations where iconic shots of their beloved movies and serials were taken.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, many viewers got an opportunity to binge watch their favourite shows and movies at home.  The ‘Hallyu wave’ (Korean wave) stunned the viewers and searches for places like Busan, Seoul and Itaewon surged. The stunning visuals that comforted them amid the lockdown are now morphed as ‘must visit’ travel destinations.

Thus, looking at the demand of travellers wanting to visit these exotic locations, travel agents in Oman, too, are now updating their offerings with special offers and packages that serve these interests of many tourists. After all, most would love to return from travel with prized pictures of themselves at these dream destinations.

Croatia

Croatia, located between central and northeast Europe and known for its stunning beaches and bountiful nature reserves, has suddenly shot into the limelight not for its natural splendour but for being the backdrop for the popular HBO show Game of Thrones.

A Game of Thrones location

Suraj Shroff, manager (holidays) with Zahara Holidays in Muscat, Oman says, “Visitors often want to experience new, yet fun, places. Hence, the demand to visit Japan, Korea and Croatia has increased after COVID-19. Families visit them to feel a sense of belonging and recognition. There is an itinerary that has been created based on the places they have seen on screen.

The one iconic film location that seems to be on top of the list for those with a Schengen visa is Dubrovnik in Croatia, Shroff says, crediting travellers’ interest in this location to the mega hit HBO show – Game of Thrones.

One such sought after location is the fictional place of ‘King’s landing’. Shot in the old town area of Dubrovnik, this UNESCO World Heritage site is a medieval architecture wonderland. Currently, a Game of Thrones prequel – House of the Dragon – is also being shot at the same location.

Switzerland

Another iconic film location that has surprisingly become a popular location for Korean drama buffs is Iseltwald in Switzerland.  This old village town had natural beauty all around but shot to unprecedented prominence when Korean drama Crash Landing on You scouted it and filmed one of the series’ most iconic scenes on the wooden pier on Lake Brienz – the centerpiece of a riveting romantic scene in the show.

The demand of tourists to visit this pier has reached such a paramount level that the local government had to add a chargeable barricade with a US$5.6 (RO2.16) selfie fee. The village now plans holiday season traffic controls in order to avoid being run over by tourists.

Adding a Bollywood angle to this European destination, many of the expats visit Switzerland for their ‘Yash Raj’ moment in the Swiss Alps. Dubbed as the ‘The King of Romance’ Yash Chopra was a beloved film director who brought Switzerland and its natural beauty to the main screen in India in the Hindi film Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) which became an all-time favourite. This resulted a whole generation of cinephiles and honeymooners wanting to visit the many famous locations to recreate a pose from the film. Seeing the surge of tourist from India, the Swiss government has erected a statue of Yash Chopra, at Interlaken.

New Zealand

The quaint little sleepy Waikato town of Matamata is a hub of great prominence, thanks to the iconic movie Lord of the Rings. The economical boost that New Zealand has achieved has been paramount to their annual GDP. The Eagles at Wellington airport welcome visitors giving them a glimpse of ‘Middle earth’.

The drive towards Matamata or Hobbiton to the movie nerds, is riddled with different location exits and visitors are spoiled for choice. Data proves that leisure visitors to New Zealand increased by a drastic 40% post the first movie release. New Zealand’s film industry now generates about US$2.08bn in GDP annually, thanks to movies like Mulan, King Kong and even Avatar.

Cambodia

Neha Mankar, head of Club 7 Holidays, sharing a guest experience, disclosed that a group of 25, returning from an iconic film location in Cambodia, had to make a halt midway to meet an infant’s urgent request – an avid fan of Mortal Kombat, the kid simply wanted to strike martial arts poses at that popular spot. Hence, Mankar concludes, that nostalgia plays a very important factor in influencing one person’s choice during leisure travel.

Korea

An avid fan of the Korean boy band BTS, Tanvi Shirgaokar, an Indian expatriate, says she travelled twice to Korea just to see her idols in action. The first was a concert for with she purchased tickets and the second was a lucky win to meet her idols at a ‘Fan Café’. KPop fans are often the primary source of ‘emergency ticketing’, travel agents in Muscat say.

Tanvi shares that she not only secured a ‘fast track’ visa appointment with the Embassy of Korea but also got timely assistance to complete all formalities for her trip not to miss out on her treasured trip to Seoul.

(Contributed by Nisha Joshi)

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