Travel Trends: Pop Culture Tourism

Pop Culture Tourism - also referred to as Location Vacation or Set Jetting - is defined as traveling to locations featured in popular literature, film, music, or any other form of media.

New data from a report published by American Express revealed that more than half of Gen-Z and millennial travelers have been influenced to visit the locations in which their favorite series were filmed or set, saying after seeing it on TV or in a movie, they wanted to plan a trip there.

Film and TV fans are flocking to places that captivate them onscreen. Croatia and Ireland both saw an influx of travelers following the success of HBO’s Game of Thrones. A visitor survey found that one in six leisure visitors to Ireland said the show was influential in their decision to visit. The TV series Outlander has reportedly boosted Scottish tourism by almost 70%. Travel searches for Singapore spiked with the success of Crazy Rich Asians. After season one of White Lotus, which was set at the Four Seasons Resort Maui, and season two set at a Four Seasons property on the Sicilian coast, both hotels received a significant surge in traffic and bookings. Resorts around Sicily that weren’t even seen in the show saw a spike in tourist demand, with one property manager noting more than a 500% increase in searches for their Sicilian properties due to the popular show. Since the series Bridgerton debuted in 2020, locations such as Castle Howard and the town of Bath have had a rise in the number of visitors, and a substantial increase in younger visitors because of the show. The CEO for VisitBritain reports she is pleased to see their history and heritage displayed in a way where millennial and Gen-Z travelers are coming in greater numbers.

And the trend doesn’t stop with film and television. Pop stars have also been known to drive tourism, simply by mentioning cities in their song lyrics or choosing destinations as filming locations for music videos. After the release of Justin Bieber’s video “I’ll Show You”, filmed in South Iceland, the country saw a 20-percent spike in tourism.

Pop culture is driving booking decisions and Millenials and Gen-Z are driving this trend. In some respects, Pop Culture Tourism is akin to a pilgrimage. Travelers want to immerse themselves in their favorite films – they want to say that they’ve ‘been there’, and they want to share their experiences on social media.”