The Secrets of the Hundred Spires
What happens to a city (such as, say, Prague - "the City of a Hundred Spires") when a global page-turner plants its plot there? What does a bestselling thriller do to hotel bookings, walking tours, souvenir stands? How does it affect the way first-timers choose their very first selfie spot?
Dan Brown’s new novel, "The Secret of Secrets" which was released worldwide today drops readers into the magnificent and mystic city of Prague (the word "Prague" means a "threshold", a door to the magic world): it takes them onto Charles Bridge at dawn and sends them racing through Klementinum (National Library of the Czech Republic) stacks, the Jewish Quarter's alleys, up to the Prague Castle’s windy courtyards, and to the Soviet-era bunkers viewpoints in the less-known Nusle district. Golems, codes, conspiracies, riddles, and a fresh wave of curiosity that marketers and city tourism promoters can shape into real visits, real money spending, and real cultural engagement.
“Cast the iron while it is hot”
Tourist agencies, Prague Tourism, and city promoters moved fast: on the day of the novel's release day-one guided walks were offered, a launch pop-up at Old Town Hall with signed copies for early birds was prepared, and a marquee author event at Lucerna is expected in mid-September.
Dan Brown is a matador of mystery thriller genre who has been in business for a quarter of a century now. "The Secret of Secrets" is his sixth novel featuring Robert Langdon, a series that has turned into a global franchise comparable to Harry Potter. Even though some critics might call Brown's new book “a weapons-grade nonsense” which is often “ridiculous and infectious”, this does not matter for tourism business. Dan Brown's magic still works: short chapters, cliffhangers, famous backdrops, esoterica - all of that optimized for place attachment (and product placement which, as some critics point out, is becoming more ubiquitous in recent Brown's novels).
Moreover, Netflix has announced that it is developing a new television series based on "The Secret of Secrets". This means that after the first enthusiasm about the book wears off, the upcoming series is going to fuel it once again attracting even more visitors to Prague.
Mystery and thriller literary tourism
The potential of fright (and dark) mystery and thriller literary tourism is truly enormous. Below are some examples of mystery and thriller literary works set in European destinations:
|
Year |
Literary title |
Author |
Set in |
|
1897 |
“Dracula” |
Bram Stoker |
Bran, London |
|
1892 |
“Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” |
Arthur Conan Doyle |
London |
|
1937 |
“Master and Margarita” |
Mikhail Bulgakov |
Moscow |
|
1920-1973 |
“Miss Marple/Hercule Poirot novels” |
Agatha Christie |
various UK locations |
|
1996 |
“Neverwhere” |
Neil Gaiman |
London |
|
1998 |
“Digital Fortress” |
Dan Brown |
Seville |
|
1999 |
“Hannibal” |
Thomas Harris |
Florence |
|
1997-2007 |
“Harry Potter” |
Joanne Rolling |
London |
|
1997 - |
“Harry Hole novels” |
Jo Nesbø |
Oslo, Bergen, various locations |
|
2000 |
“Angels and Demons” |
Dan Brown |
Rome |
|
2003 |
“Da Vinci Code” |
Dan Brown |
Paris, London |
|
2005-2007 |
“Millennium Trilogy” |
Stieg Larsson |
Stockholm |
|
2007-2021 |
“Department Q series” |
Jussi Adler-Olsen |
Copenhagen, Denmark |
|
2010 |
“Postcard Killers” |
Lisa Marklund |
Stockholm |
|
2013 |
“Inferno” |
Dan Brown |
Florence, Venice, Istanbul |
|
2017 |
“Origin” |
Dan Brown |
Bilbao, Barcelona |
|
2008-2022 |
“Detective Joona Linna series” |
Lars Kepler |
Stockholm, Sweden |
|
2020 |
“The Thursday Murder Club” |
Richard Osman |
Kent, Berkshire |
|
2025 |
“The Secret of Secrets” |
Dan Brown |
Prague |
And of course all these literary works attract visitors. The first Brown's global success "Da Vinci Code" (2003) featuring Louvre and Paris saw tourism spikes of 5–10% in the first 2 years, Harry Potter Saga set in London and Scotland sustained >10% boosts annually for over a decade. Hence, for a popular destination such as Prague, a conservative Da Vinci Code-like boost (5%) is realistic with an optimistic case (10%) assuming strong Netflix (or even film) adaptation.
The moment is now
Our calculations show that the new Dan Brown's book set in Prague could easily add $240 million per year to Prague’s tourism economy, with upside of nearly half a billion USD per year if televisions and film adaptations further enhance interest. Over a 3-year horizon (2025-2027), the whole impact could reach $1.4 billion.
There is no doubt that Dan Brown trades in clichés. Prague is more than that and because it is, there are many opportunities for tourism promotion and travel business. The mass-market hook associated with "The Secret of Secrets" can be used to invite visitors and local residents in Prague for a deeper and more immersive experience: to Jewish heritage beyond the Golem, to Klementinum Library's exhibitions beyond the cliffhangers, to views from Petřín Hill that are lovelier without the ghosts, or to the lovely cobbled ancient streets of Prague without any dark vibe present.
Sources:
- Rausser, G., Strielkowski, W., & Korneeva, E. (2021). Sustainable tourism in the digital age: Institutional and economic implications. Terra Economicus, 19(4), 141-159. https://doi.org/10.18522/2073-6606-2021-19-4-141-159
- Strielkowski, W. (2017). Promoting tourism destination through film-induced tourism: The case of Japan. Market/Tržište, 29(2), 193-203. https://doi.org/10.22598/mt/2017.29.2.193
- Strielkowski, W. (2017). Economic effect of film tourism in Australia and New Zealand. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376398378_Economic_effect_of_film_tourism_in_Australia_and_New_Zealand, http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.12689.81768
- Mitsche, N., & Strielkowski, W. (2016). Tourism e-services and Jewish heritage: a case study of Prague. European Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation, 7(3), 203-211. https://doi.org/10.1515/ejthr-2016-0022
- Strielkowski, W. (2016). Innovations in tourism marketing: Operation Anthropoid in Prague. Marketing and Management of Innovations, (4), 106-112.
- Strielkowski, W., & Kollmannová, D. K. (2014). Mystery and thriller tourism in European cultural destinations. Tourismos, 9(1), 293-306.
- Strielkowski, W. (2013). Mystery and thriller tourism: Novel solutions for European cities. Tourism: An International Interdisciplinary Journal, 61(3), 277-287. https://hrcak.srce.hr/110910
