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23. 11. 11. - 13:00

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23. 11. 11. - 13:00

Twilight Saga boosts tourism in Transylvania, the land of vampires

Romanian Times

A report by Travelex.com shows the number of tourists to Transylvania - especially British and American - has increased by 50 per cent in the last months, due to the launch of the new movie in the Twilight Saga.

One in five fans considering a trip in the wake of Twilight Saga finale, according to Travelex.

Based on the uplift in Leu sales to date, Travelex predicts that as many as 3,000 British fans will travel to Transylvania between now and Christmas, in the wake of the film.

An analysis of currency sales figures reveals that demand is now 14 per cent higher than before the Twilight series. The final film "Breaking Dawn", which stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, is released to UK cinemas from 18 November on.

One in five fans claim that they have considered visiting the ancient region since watching the films. It comes as nearly half admitted they thought Transylvania was a fictional place before the film sparked their interest in the location, according to a survey carried out by One Poll, in October 2011.

Local tourism in the region has also reported an increase. British visitor numbers are up 80 per cent in the three years since the start of the Twilight franchise, with advance bookings up by 50 per cent in the last 4 weeks, compared to the same period last year.

Of those planning on visiting Transylvania, over 90 per cent claim they are planning to go on vampire and Dracula styled trails, including ghoulish activities such as tours to Dracula’s birth place, visits to Dracula’s Castle in Borgo Pass and vampire themed costume parties.

Since its launch three years ago, the Twilight Saga has sold more than 155 million copies of the book around the globe and has been attributed with sparking a vampire craze worldwide.

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