It’s no secret that HBO has struck gold with its miniseries Chernobyl. It’s already the highest rated show in the history of IMDb and has wiped away a lot of the bad taste of the subpar Game of Thrones finale. Unfortunately, it’s only five episodes long and it’s already been confirmed that there won’t be a second season. Fans aren’t ready to stop learning about the horrific nuclear mishap that happened in the eighties though and thus are flocking to the disaster site in huge numbers.
The Ukrainian ghost town of Pripyat and the Chernobyl plant reportedly saw a 30% increase in tourists going to the area in May 2019, shortly after the series first premiered. As the subsequent episodes continued to captivate, tourism rates shot up even more. Bookings in the area for June, July and August have risen by approximately 40% since the pilot and that isn’t likely to slow down any time soon, as more and more viewers are watching the acclaimed show on demand.
Visitors flocking in from all over the globe to take a tour of the eerie location where catastrophe struck back in April 1986 will get to observe monuments dedicated to the victims, abandoned towns and enjoy a meal in the only restaurant left standing in Chernobyl. They’ll also get to take a peek at the infamous reactor number four.
Though HBO won’t reap the financial benefits from all of that tourism, they are seeing lots of buzz centered around their summer lineup. The miniseries based on the Russian disaster was a great start for a slate that includes expected hits like Big Little Lies and The Young Pope, as well as anticipated debuts like His Dark Materials and Watchmen.
If any of those shows can attract even half of the success of Chernobyl, then the network should be able to gain back all of the subscriptions they lost from disgruntled Game of Thrones fans.