Tourism on the rise as fans go potty for Harry Potter filming locations
The final Harry Potter film appears to have cast a spell on the nation, with Brits flocking to unusual destinations, like Hemel Hempstead, in a bid to see where their favourite scene was filmed, according to booking figures from Premier Inn.
Since ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2’ burst onto cinema screens last week, the UK’s biggest budget hotel chain has seen a significant increase in bookings at seven of their sites in the UK at wand-erful locations where famous scenes from the saga were filmed.
Rather than making the long journey across the Atlantic to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, UK fans are instead grabbing their broomsticks and racing to places nearer to home such as Bodleian Library, in Oxford and Durham Cathedral, in Durham to see the interior of the famous Wizard school.
And it is not just a piece of Hogwarts fans are after, bookings at Premier Inn Hemel Hampstead, situated near Ashbridge forest which featured as the Forbidden Forest, has seen bookings up 150% since the film’s final premiere.
Premier Inn King’s Cross St Pancras has seen an hotel booking surge of 105% as fans flock to the area to have their picture taken at the infamous platform 9 ¾ at London’s King’s Cross station.
And the team at Premier Inn London County Hall have been inundated with guests asking for directions to Australia house on The Strand which features as Gringott’s Bank, the location for Harry and Hagrid’s first outing.
| Premier Inn Hotel | Harry Potter location | % increase in hotel bookings |
| Premier Inn Durham | Durham Cathedral (Hogwarts interior) | up 140% |
| Premier Inn Oxford | Bodleian Library & Christchurch College (Hogwarts Interior) | up 129% |
| Premier Inn Kings Cross St Pancras | King’s Cross Station (Platform 9 ¾) | up 105% |
| Premier Inn Hemel Hampstead West | Ashridge (Forbidden Forest) | up 94% |
| Premier Inn Gloucester Longford | Gloucester Cathedral (Hogwarts interior) | up 80% |
| Premier Inn London County Hall | Australia House (Gringott’s Bank) | up 74% |
Claire Haigh, spokeswoman for Premier Inn, said: “It’s great to see that the Harry Potter saga has increased tourism around the UK. Sites such as Bodleian Library and Durham Cathedral are some of the UK’s national treasures and it’s great one of the nation’s films has encouraged people to visit them.”
If you want to visit the places where Harry made his first potion, sneaked around corridors in his invisible cape and had his first encounter with Goblins, Premier Inn is offering 81,000 rooms at £29* across the county until the end of August 2011 so fans can still embrace Pottermania long after the final film.
-ENDS-
For more information please contact the Premier Inn team on 02076936999 or email premierinn@frankpr.it
About Premier Inn:
Award-winning Premier Inn is the UK’s biggest hotel brand with over 600 budget hotels and more than 43,000 rooms across the UK and Ireland. Premier Inn bedrooms feature en-suite bathrooms, TV with Freeview, and WiFi internet access. All Premier Inns feature a bar and restaurant; situated inside the hotel or adjacent, offering a wide range of food choices.
Premier Inn aims to be the largest provider of budget hotels in London (within the M25) by 2012. Premier Inn has also expanded internationally and now has hotels in Dubai and India.
Premier Inn is currently offering rooms for just £29 (restrictions apply). Visit www.premierinn.com for full terms and conditions.
Premier Inn supports WaterAid, the international charity whose mission is to overcome poverty by enabling the world's poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. Details can be found at www.wateraid.org/whitbread.
*Terms and conditions for £29 rooms
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