Sam Thorne, guide for “The Harry Potter Trail,” takes about 20 fans of the famous wizard on an alternate tour of Edinburgh, following the paths of the fictional characters in the Scottish city.
Fans of the saga come from all corners of the world as far away as Scotland and the United Kingdom to generate millions of pounds in revenue, which author J.K. Rowling’s books continue to grow more than 30 years after their first volumes were published.
“Here you will find Voldemort’s tomb”, the ‘villain’ of the series, continues the guide, in front of his group of tourists of all ages.
The group walks through Greyfriars Cemetery, where the graves bear the names of several characters created by JK Rowling, although the author has not confirmed that she was inspired by them.
Kate Merson, 43, is part of the tour with her husband and two children. He came to Edinburgh for professional reasons, but like many Americans, he uses the opportunity to explore his Scottish roots and indulge his nine-year-old daughter’s Pottermania.
At 20 pounds (23 euros) per person and several dozen participants per visit, this one-and-a-half-hour guided tour of the Scottish capital’s Gothic streets is a lot of money.
“Rising Popularity”
The “Potter Trail”, led by Sam Thorne, ends on the colorful and much-photographed Victoria Street, in front of two souvenir shops.
Tourists wait their turn to enter a souvenir shop located on Victoria Street, which is thought to have inspired Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books.
Credits: AFP/Andy Buchanan
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Priya Maru, a 27-year-old Indian woman living in Toronto, Canada, queues in the rain in front of one of them, along with about fifteen fans, ready to spend as much as she can.
While he admits he can find all kinds of things in Toronto, he says, “It was symbolic to buy them in Harry Potter town,” where J.K. Rowling wrote the story that made her a millionaire.
At a shop called ‘Enchanted Galaxy’, a plastic “magic” wand costs £40 (€46) and a limited-edition sculpture of a character from the films costs £650 (€762).
“The store is doing well, Harry Potter is becoming more and more popular,” says manager Monica Alcina, who declined to disclose the business’s revenue.
While there are no new Harry Potter movies or books, the fantasy series has survived in recent years with a hit video game, a play in London and a story tied to the movie “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Saga, a TV series is in the making.
Scotland’s tourism engine
“Harry Potter is a fantastic driver for tourism in Scotland,” Jenny Steele of the advertising agency ‘Visit Scotland’ told AFP.
Tourism contributes £4 billion to the Scottish economy annually.
But fans of the wizard also travel to places like York, Cotswolds, Oxford and London to find shooting locations.
The record-breaking Warner Studios attraction has attracted 19 million visitors since it opened 12 years ago, generating more than €900 million in revenue.
J.K. Controversy over Rowling’s transphobic comments hasn’t hurt sales so far.
Sam Thorne cites a “betrayal” because the Harry Potter universe was seen as “welcoming to those who feel different”.
“We don’t agree with that, but we don’t see any impact on sales,” says Monica Alcina.
