10 popular travel destinations inspired by TV shows and movies
More than ever, travelers are recreating the magic by visiting places they’ve seen in movies and TV shows. The trend, also known as set jetting, has been around for a few years, but a OnePoll study for Expedia Brands found that TV shows now influence travelers’ destinations more than social media sites like Instagram and TikTok.
According to the report, more than half of travelers surveyed have researched or booked a trip to a destination they’ve seen in a TV show or movie. The phenomenon of film location travel is now so common that app SetJetters partners with the film industry to allow people to record the locations where directors have shot movie and TV scenes.
Visiting these locations “allows the world of the film to live and thrive in people’s imaginations,” Set Jetters CEO Eric Nachtlieb said in an email to Stacker.
According to SetJetters data, some of the most popular real-life destinations are already hot tourist destinations: The Netflix series “Emily in Paris” has brought a renewed surge of interest to France, already the most visited country in the world as of 2019. The “Harry Potter” films continue to bring tourists to London, and several blockbuster movies and TV shows, from “Ghostbusters” to “Gossip Girl,” have boosted interest in New York City.
At the same time, Set Jetters is seeing more tourists in areas that previously didn’t see large numbers of visitors. Stacker combed through trending destination data from Expedia, the Set Jetters app and local tourism boards to see which destinations were seeing increased visitation from TV and movie tourists.