How do you choose your next holiday destination? Friends, social media sites or travel agents might influence our decision – but it turns out a lot of us are also inspired by what we see on screen.
It’s something travel experts call “set jetting” – a trend that has frequently boosted tourist numbers at filming locations.
Data given exclusively to the Sky News Money blog by Expedia shows popular BBC reality series The Traitors – filmed at Ardross Castle – has caused searches for hotels in the Highlands to rocket.
A month after the final episode of the first series aired in 2022, there was a 72% increase in searches.
During the same period, flight searches in the Scottish Highlands also increased by 32%.
Meanwhile, the Jamie Dornan-led series The Tourist appeared to boost searches for holidays in Adelaide in South Australia.
Two months after the first season aired, there was a 56% increase in hotel searches for Adelaide.
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Flight searches increased by 37% in one month.
With both series currently airing their second season, it seems likely they could each prompt another increase in travellers.
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Expedia previously predicted 13 more TV and film locations likely to be popular in 2024, based on show and film releases and travel data.
Read more:
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How popular is set jetting?
A July 2023 report by Voucher Codes found most people (65.7%) have not booked a TV show or film destination for a holiday – but that still leaves a significant chunk of people who have.
Here are the top places people have booked because of TV shows or films, according to their survey:
