Can Game of Thrones boost Andalucia's job ratings?

Ever since the producers of hit TV fantasy show Game of Thrones announced that they will be filming parts of the fifth series in the Andalusian locations of Seville and Osuna, fans have been speculating which backdrops will be selected to recreate the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros…

But for Andalusians, the news could prove an unlikely source of economic good fortune, and may help bring back thousands of jobs to a region hit hardest by Spain’s economic downturn.

This is not just wishful thinking. In 2011, when filming of season three took place in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik, tourism rose 24 per cent the following year as fans of the hit HBO (Home Box Office) show embarked on special Game of Thrones location tours. Indeed, each filming season in Croatia created more than 1,000 jobs, with more than 10,000 people applying to work as extras who were paid a reported $120 a day for their efforts.

In Iceland, which stood in for a soldier’s battleground last year, visitor numbers rose 20 per cent afterwards, while Northern Ireland will also see almost 20 million pounds ploughed into its economy as a direct result of filming for season five, according to Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness.

Andalucía currently suffers from almost 35 per cent unemployment, so a similar Game of Thrones-inspired boost would be most welcome. The show’s producers have confirmed that they will be filming a lot of season five in the sleepy town of Osuna. With a population of just 17,900, an estimated 4,300 people are currently out of work – more than one in four.

“People are worried by the lack of jobs and see this as an opportunity,” Osuna mayor Rosario Andujar told Bloomberg. “There will be roles supplying materials, accommodation, transport and as personnel during filming. I’m convinced the town is going to benefit a lot.”

In Seville – which rarely struggles with tourism but has been haunted by high unemployment in recent years – city mayor Juan Ignacio Zoido echoed his Osuna compatriot’s claim. “The filming of Game of Thrones in Seville is going to consolidate jobs in the city and create an important generation of wealth,” Zoido said.

Although stunningly beautiful and packed to the rafters with striking architecture, Seville actually proactively wooed HBO location scouts by axing the fees it normally charges film crews to shoot in the city’s public places, such as the Moorish Alcazar. The palace draws crowds of 3,000 per day and generates more than €20,000 for the city daily, but the Andalusian Film Commission and Seville’s city council agreed to waive the fees for HBO in light of the greater good.

“This is a show with millions of followers so speculation over precise filming locations has been enormous,” said Spain Film Commission president Carlos Rosado. “I’m afraid for now, fans will have to wait,” he teased, but he did confirm that shooting is expected to take place in the city in October.

Seville and Andalucía have a rich history with Hollywood, and have acted as backdrops to numerous blockbusters over the years, including Knight and Day, starring Tom Cruise, and The Dictator, starring Sacha Baron Cohen. But this is the first time that a TV show has generated such fervour.

If you have never seen Game of Thrones, then here is a quick summary of what it is about: set in a medieval world, it is a fantasy epic based on the novels of US writer George R.R. Martin. The fictional lands of Westeros and Essos play host to tales of betrayal, battles and egos, helped along by smatterings of gratuitous violence, sex and nudity. According to Bloomberg, HBO yielded to a request for an advanced copy of season four from none other than US President Barack Obama.

If Mr. Obama was really serious about the show, and about helping out struggling economies, he too could announce that he will be in Andalucía in October to watch the filming take place. Over to you, Mr. President…