STORY: Reams of tourists flock to the ancient Croatian city of Dubrovnik to visit Game of Thrones filming locations.
But U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to impose a 100% tariff on all movies produced outside the U.S. have alarmed the entertainment industry.
Some locals in Dubrovnik, which was also used to film Star Wars: The Last Jedi, fear directors may no longer film there.
Croatian film producer Igor Aleksandar Nola.
“There has been a halt in the complete production that we planned for 2025 to 2027. First, because of the global scale in the economy, the stock markets are not stable, there is a big disruption due to the tariffs that Trump would like to introduce, and because of all this uncertainty, part of the finances is actually on stand-by.”
Central European countries and the Balkans have been used by Hollywood for years for their dramatic scenery, architecture and cheaper filming costs.
If a movie or series is a hit, those locations can become hugely popular with visitors.
A Dubrovnik tour guide said the numbers of visitors there have hiked, with 1,000 tourists joining a Game of Thrones tour every day.
New souvenir shops were opened and jobs created for tourist guides and locals assisting in film productions out of season.
Without filming there, he said, the city would lose a “big piece of the winter tourism pie”.
Trump did not provide details about the timing of tariffs.
Dubrovnik’s mayor, Mato Frankovic, said they have not yet had any cancellations of filming for U.S. productions.
He added that the city is also used for numerous European films, as well as by Bollywood.