Photo taken on June 5, 2024 on Victoria Street in Edinburgh, believed to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books
Andy Buchanan
Sam Thorne, guide for The Harry Potter Trail, takes around 20 fans of the famous wizard on an alternative tour of Edinburgh on the routes 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, generating billions of pounds in revenue, according to author J.K. Rowling continues to grow nearly 30 years after publishing the first volumes.
“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, is exploring his Scottish roots and using the opportunity to indulge his nine-year-old daughter's Pottermania.
With 20 pounds (135 rais) per person and several dozen participants at a time, these one-and-a-half-hour guided tours of the Scottish capital's Gothic streets make a lot of money.
– increasingly popular” –
The “Potter Trail”, led by Sam Thorne, ends on the colorful and much-photographed Victoria Street, in front of two souvenir shops.
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 (Rs 270) and a limited edition sculpture of a character from the movies costs £650 (Rs 4384).
“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 been alive and well in recent years with a successful video game, a play in London and a story related to the “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” sequel, while a TV series is in the works.
– Scotland's Tourism Engine –
“Harry Potter is a fantastic driver of 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 records-related Warner Studios attraction has attracted 19 million visitors since it opened 12 years ago, generating more than $1 billion 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.
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