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Hotel bookings rise for French town in Les Misérables

The town of Montreuil-Sur-Mer in France is experiencing a huge spike in bookings thanks to the selling power of the Hollywood blockbuster “Les Misérables.”

Jan 23, 2013 | By AFPRelaxnews

Montreuil-sur-Mer street

The town of Montreuil-Sur-Mer in France is experiencing a huge spike in bookings thanks to the selling power of the Hollywood blockbuster “Les Misérables.”

That’s according to online reservations site LateRooms.com, which says it’s seen a 366 percent increase in hotel bookings for the town in the north of France where much of the story unfolds.

In Victor Hugo’s book, Montreuil-Sur-Mer is the hometown of tragic heroine Fantine and where Jean Valjean serves as mayor.

Montreuil-sur-Mer

Since 1996 the town has capitalized on its connection with one of the world’s best known stories and musicals by putting on its own theater production every summer.

For the 17th annual edition last year, the show included a fireworks display, an army of 450 actors and extras and original choreography.

Les Miserables Montreuil

Today, the fortified town is a living relic of the past, with picturesque streets that date back to the Middle Ages and have changed little from their original construction — and Hugo’s setting.

The film is doing for the French town what the “Twilight” series did for movie settings like Forks, Washington and Silver Falls State Park in Oregon, and what “The Lord of the Rings”  have done for tourism in New Zealand — attracting star-struck tourists.

les miserables anne hathaway


 
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