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Destination-based movies and TV shows are overtaking social media as the dominant source of cultural influence when it comes to travel planning. Jenny Southan investigates the pull power of pop culture and the destinations on everyone’s lips

Back in my early 20s the movie Lost in Translation, which is set in Japan, had such a profound impact on me that it inspired me to move to Tokyo for a year.

I remember staring out of a taxi window at the neon lights of the city, as Bill Murray’s character did, and hopping across steppingstones in a Zen garden in Kyoto, following in the footsteps of Scarlett Johansson’s “Charlotte”. A few years later, as a travel journalist, I returned for a stay at the Park Hyatt Tokyo hotel, sipping Suntory whisky as the familiarly mellifluous piano music made me wonder (in my jet-lagged state) whether I really was in a scene from the film. (The hotel is closing for renovations this year until summer 2025, which could be a great reason to go back.)

Set Jetting

In a way, screen tourism, which describes travel to locations showcased in TV series and movies, is nothing new but it really entered the zeitgeist in 2023 after the airing of season 2 of The White Lotus.

So much so, the phenomenon of people immediately searching and booking trips to the places they have seen on screen became known as “The White Lotus Effect”.

In this case it was for travel to Sicily, and specifically the San Domenico Palace Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel, which provided a coveted locale for a cast of glamorous Americans on vacation.

Even the act of watching it made you feel like you were on holiday, and sparked a deep craving for silk scarves, breakfast buffets and Aperol spritz cocktails.

According to the Four Seasons in Hawaii, where season one of The White Lotus was filmed, the series ignited a 425% web traffic increase for the property when it aired. Next year, season three will be set in Thailand, and is rumoured to have assigned the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui and the Anantara Mai Khao Villas Phuket as locations.

It’s highly likely that many of the country’s high-end paradise resorts (particularly those featured in the show) could experience an influx of tourists in a similar way to Maya Bay, which was a pristine gem of a location in Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie The Beach in 2000. (The downside was that the beach subsequently became so over-crowded that it had to be closed for several years.)

Screen power

In autumn 2023, an Expedia survey of 20,000 people from around the world revealed that almost 30 per cent of travellers now say that TV shows and movies are more influential than they were before. In fact, TV shows are more of a draw for destinations than Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Melanie Fish, chief trend tracker for Expedia Brands, said in a statement: “Expedia noticed searches peaking for destinations featured on shows, even imaginary destinations like Schitt’s Creek. We found it hard to believe people were actually booking trips to places they saw on a show. We commissioned research and sure enough, movies and streaming shows are now the top inspiration for travel.”

Data from Expedia reveals that The Bear ignited a 45% increase in searches for Chicago when the show first hit people’s screens; and after Norway featured in the final season of Succession, searches for travel to the country spiked by more than 65%. Elsewhere, Netflix’s Queen Charlotte stoked interest in the real-life royal’s home state, putting Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in Germany, on the map (interest was up 20% among British viewers). Evidence for the trend also comes from rival platform Skyscanner, which recently announced that ‘… film and TV is the second most popular source of travel inspo for UK travellers, only beaten by word-of-mouth recommendations.’

“We found it hard to believe people were actually booking trips to places they saw on a show. We commissioned research and sure enough, movies and streaming shows are now the top inspiration for travel.”

– Melanie Fish, chief trend tracker, Expedia Brands

Paris: always a good idea

After season three of rom-com Emily in Paris aired in December 2022, Expedia noted that there was a 60 per cent month-on-month increase in searches for stays in the French capital.

With season 4 airing this year – coinciding with the Olympic Games being held in Paris – it is no surprise that the destination is expected to be the most-visited on Earth in 2024.

Betting big on the ‘Emily in Paris Effect’ is travel start-up Dharma, which has partnered with Paramount to sell themed tours of the city, led by lifestyle influencers dubbed ‘Emileaders’. Marie Marks, senior vice-president of themed experiences at Paramount, said in a statement: “We are very excited about our new partnership with Dharma, to create a bold and unique, curated travel experience that will immerse guests in memorable moments from Emily in Paris.

People want to participate in experiences that bring their favourite brands to life in compelling and innovative ways that extend beyond the screen.”

At the beginning of 2024, the second season of the UK edition of The Traitors (a murder mystery game show) not only became front-page news but was also a catalyst for people searching for castles to rent via Airbnb in Scotland.

Amanda Cupples, general manager for the UK and Northern Europe at Airbnb, said in a statement: “With The Traitors the TV show on everybody’s lips, our range of stunning castle stays can transport guests to their very own Traitors-esque sanctum.” Although Andross castle itself, where the series is filmed, is not available for stays, Airbnb has compiled a list of properties such as Kilbryde Castle in Stirling and Cats Castle in Dumbarton that can be hired. (The Australian version of The Traitors was filmed at the Robertson Hotel in New South Wales.)

“[Paris] is expected to be the most-visited place on Earth in 2024. Betting big on the ‘Emily in Paris Effect’ is travel start-up Dharma, which has partnered with Paramount to sell themed tours of the city led by lifestyle influencers dubbed ‘Emileaders’.”

Spy aspirations

Taking the trend to its zenith, British luxury travel company Black Tomato coined the term ‘set-jetting’ a few years ago, but has since snowballed the trend by launching a series of James Bond-inspired missions, with official backing from the movie makers themselves, Eon Productions. Experiences include learning stunts with Daniel Craig’s stunt double Lee Morrison, visiting the Bollinger champagne estate, cruising around the Cote d’Azur aboard a vintage yacht accompanied by actress Carole Ashby (who starred in Octopussy and A View To A Kill in the 1980s), and mixing martinis at Dukes bar in London.

What’s next for set-jetters? Black Tomato co-founder Tom Marchant says: “It’s clear the programs and movies people are watching is often a powerful force in shaping their holiday decisions and we see this influencing their choice of destination, desired properties and experiences they’ve seen on the scree, even more so than social media…

“Most recently, we’ve seen a surge in requests for cool exclusive use properties in the UK as a reflection of the popularity of Saltburn, and as a result places like Keythorpe Hall and Guiting Manor in the Cotswolds are particularly resonating.”

Jenny Southan is the founder and editor of Globetrender, a leading travel trend forecasting agency and online magazine based out of the UK.

globetrender.com

Ten Screen Tourism Pairings

1. Australian Survivor: Titans vs Rebels – Samoa

2. Emily in Paris (season 4, 2024) – Paris and Rome

3. Palm Royale (2024) – Tampa Bay, Florida

4. Ripley (2024) – Italy

5. The Traitors (season 2, 2024) – Scottish Highlands

6. True Detective (season 4, 2024) – Alaska and Iceland

7. Squid Games (season 2, 2024) – South Korea

8. Twisters (2024) – Oklahoma, US

9. Dune: Prophecy (2024) – Jordan

10. The White Lotus (season 3, 2025) – Thailand

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