Game of Thrones boost for Spanish town

HBO blockbuster TV series Game of Thrones is causing quite a stir at its latest location, the historic Andalucian town of Osuna.

Hotels are fully booked until the end of this month (October)  when filming is due to end, and the tourist information office has extended  its opening hours to cope with the influx of visitors.

With regional unemployment standing at 34.7 per cent, it is a welcome economic boost to the town, which saw a rise in visitor numbers months ahead of filming. In a sign of the huge popularity of the swords and sex fantasy drama, visits to the town rose by 15 per cent back in June on the announcement that Game of Thrones was to be filmed there.

It is an effect that has been seen in Northern Ireland, Malta and Croatia, where the TV series has also been filmed, but the interest in Spain has been even more marked.

When a Malaga based casting agency advertised for 500 extras, it was swamped with 86,000 applications and had to increase internet server space just to cope.

Now Osuna Town Hall is looking to capitalise on the raised interest in the town and is considering creating a museum with a Game of Thrones theme.

And in the mean time one local restaurant is making the most of it with a range of tapas inspired by the show’s characters, including The Joffrey. The dish of trout with bacon garnished with mulled wine is named after the character King Joffrey Baratheon.

Filming moved on to Osuna after several scenes were shot in nearby Sevilla’s 15^th century Alcazar.