Romanian tourist board to use alleged links between British royalty and DRACULA to boost UK visitor numbers



Royal Family's ancestry has been linked to Vlad the Impaler



Last year Prince Charles made reference to his ancestral links to the 15th century tyrant



Vlad the Impaler inspired Bram Stoker's diabolical villain, Count Dracula

The Romanian tourist board plans to promote the alleged family ties between British royalty and the tyrant who inspired Dracula to entice more UK visitors to the country.



The Royal Family's ancestry has been linked to Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, who earned the sobriquet Vlad the Impaler thanks to his penchant for having his victims spiked on huge metal stakes.

The Romanian National Tourist Office announced plans to use these royal links in promotional campaigns to lure curious Brits at a London trade fair which opened today.



Family ties: In a 2011 documentary about the Carpathian mountains, Prince Charles, left, actually made a reference to his ancestral links to Vlad the Impaler, right, the 15th century tyrant



The country has already welcomed 7 per cent more Britons in the first three months of this year than in the same period last year, and as many as 118,000 visited in 2011.

In a 2011 documentary about the Carpathian mountains, Prince Charles made a reference to his ancestral links to 'Count Dracula'.

'The genealogy shows I am descended from Vlad the Impaler, so I do have a bit of a stake in the country,' he quipped.



It is believed Queen Mary, consort of George V - Charles' great grandfather - was related to the 15th Century slayer.



What is certain is that George V's cousin Marie married the crown prince of Romania and went on to rule the eastern European country after the First World War.



Legend: Vlad's reputation for cruelty is said to have helped inspire Bram Stoker's diabolical villain, Count Dracula, played right by Gary Oldman in 1992 film Dracula, which also starred Winona Ryder, left,



Tracing back: It is believed that Queen Mary, right, consort of George V, left, - Charles' great grandfather - was related to the 15th Century slayer

Romanian ties: What is certain is that George V's cousin Marie, left, married King Ferdinand of Romania, right and went on to rule the eastern European country after the First World War

HOW THE ROYAL FAMILY IS LINKED TO COUNT DRACULA Vlad the Impaler, who inspired Bram Stokers Dracula, is tied to Britain's royal family both genealogically and through a medical condition that gives sufferers a thirst for blood.

It is believed that Queen Mary, consort of George V, was related to the 15th Century slayer Vlad the Impaler, who was also known as Dracula . Vlad is said to have dispatched more than 100,000 Turkish warriors in battle. The vampire legend was fed by his predilection for eating bread dipped in his victim's blood.



And it is known that porphyria, an iron deficiency, which is thought to lie behind the vampire myth and may have spurred Vlad's taste for blood, has run in the Royal Family.



Vlad the Impaler was notorious for his bloodthirsty campaigns against the Ottomans and fierce repression of his people .

The total number of his victims is estimated in the tens of thousands.

His reputation for cruelty is said to have helped inspire Bram Stoker's diabolical villain, Count Dracula.

British Airways flies to five Romanian cities and Romanian Airways offers flights from Heathrow and Bristol.

As many as 157 new exhibitors are at World Travel Market (WTM) trade show this year, including 41 debutants from Europe.

Among those represented for the first time are San Marino, Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The Falklands Islands Tourist Board has a stand, as does Cuba, while English Heritage and the National Trust are exhibiting for the first time.





Legend: Bran castle in Transylvania, Romania, is commonly known as 'Dracula's Castle' but is now a museum with art and furniture collected by Queen Marie

Biodiversity: A European grey wolf stalks the forest of Transylvania. The area is also home to brown bears, lynx, and 13,000 other species

Close-ish: The map shows the UK, left, in proximity to Romania, right. British Airways flies to five Romanian cities and Romanian Airways offers flights from Heathrow and Bristol