The current coronavirus pandemic may be sucking the life from the tourism industry, but the operators of Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania are hoping to bite back.
Vaccination at Bran Castle
Bran Castle, commonly known as Dracula’s Castle, is one of Romania’s most popular tourist destinations, thanks to its association with the legend of the infamous vampire.
Irish author Bram Stoker is believed to have been inspired by descriptions of the beautiful medieval castle when writing his 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula (which helped shape the vampire genre for generations to come).
It is not uncommon to find hordes of paranormal fans from around the world visiting the famous site daily, however, tourist numbers have sadly plummeted since the start of the pandemic.
Now, in a bid to lure visitors back to the centuries-old castle, staff have announced a vaccination marathon that will take place at the Transylvanian site every weekend for the month of May.
Doctors and nurses with fang stickers on their scrubs are offering free Pfizer BioNTech shots to any local visitor brave enough to visit the spooky castle this month.
After a quick prick of the needle, all those who are vaccinated at the site will receive a vaccination diploma decorated with a fanged medical worker wielding a syringe.
Free access to the castle’s torture exhibit
In addition to receiving the vaccination diploma, newly-vaccinated visitors are offered free access to the castle’s torture exhibit which features 52 medieval instruments of torture.
“The idea … was to show how people got jabbed 500-600 years ago in Europe,” Alexandru Priscu, the castle’s marketing spokesperson, says.
While many foreigners have expressed their interest to get vaccinated at the gothic site, for the time being, only Romanian residents are eligible to receive the vaccination at the castle, Priscu said.
The unique initiative is part of a government drive to encourage more Romanians to get vaccinated, but castle operators hope that it will also increase traffic to Dracula’s Castle.
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