Game of Thrones fans have been flocking to the Old City in Dubrovnik, Croatia, one of the show's main filming locations, since the fantasy series debuted in 2011.
Medieval Dubrovnik serves as King's Landing, the capital of Westeros, and the site of Cersei Lannister's "walk of shame." And Minceta Tower, built in 1319 as a fortress to protect the city, is the House of the Undying on the show. Tour guides have been hawking Game of Thrones tours, trying to capitalize on the hoopla.
At one point last August, a record number of 10,388 tourists visited the city in one day, according to The Telegraph.
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While the HBO show has boosted Croatia's economy during a slump that continued until 2014, the city government has decided the hordes of tourists aren't worth it. Dubrovnik's mayor Mato Franković wants to limit the number of tourists — by a lot. While Unesco, which gave the city Old City World Heritage Site status in 1979, recommends permitting up to 8,000 people a day inside the city walls, Franković wants to cap it at 4,000.
His two-year plan includes canceling cruise-ship stops. "I am not here to make people happy, but to make the quality of life [in this city] better," he said. "Some of the cruise lines will disagree with what I'm saying, but my main goal is to ensure quality for tourists and I cannot do it by the keeping the situation as it is."
He said he realizes that the city would lose money as a result of his decision. "We will lose money in the next two years — a million Euros maybe, by cutting the number of tourists — but in the future we will gain much more. We deserve to be a top-quality destination," he told The Telegraph. For now, if you're planning to do some GOT tourism, make sure to plan ahead and get there early.
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