UK and USA named as two of the world’s best countries for set-jetting – with 3,700 filming locations combined
Set jetting (planning a holiday around your favorite TV show or movie) is a slice of the tourism industry and is estimated to be worth £100bn. By 2035.
New research published this week Travel insurance comparison site InsureMyTrip ranks the best countries to search for movie venues, looking at factors like movie volume, cultural influence, affordability and safety.
And unsurprisingly, the USA tops the list as the best place in the world to explore real-life movie locations. 2,763 locations were listed across the country; Everything is included, from the sets of Stranger Things in Atlanta to where The Wolf of Wall Street comes to life in the Big Apple.
However, the UK is now trailing America and when it comes to attracting set-jet tourists, the most popular places to visit include locations featured in hit films such as The Crown, Fleabag and the Harry Potter movies.
US show Ted Lasso has seen an influx in tourism In Richmond, on the River Thames in south-west London, there has been a 160 per cent increase since the show first aired in 2020.
Film and TV tourism is becoming increasingly important in the UK, contributing an estimated £892 million a year to the economy.
In the fifth season of Stranger Things, Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, looks at the Haifoss waterfall in Iceland.
Other countries stated in the study to have impressive set-jet experience include Canada, Germany, Spain, Japan, Austria, New Zealand, South Korea, Italy and Norway.
InsureMyTrip Marketing Director Sara Boisvert said: ‘Set-jet is changing the way people choose their holidays. ‘We created this study to help travelers explore these destinations more safely, while also taking into account safety, costs and the communities they visit.’
On the other hand, local residents living close to the Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland, seen in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, are crushed under the half-million visitors the scenic bridge currently receives, while fears of overtourism have also flared up in some shooting locations.
Fans of the US hit series Stranger Things, which concluded with its two-hour finale airing on New Year’s Eve, can visit the real-life filming locations of the cult series; those visitors can also visit the Georgian town of Jackson, which doubles as Hawkins, up 12 percent since the series first aired in 2016.
WSQK 94.5FM radio station, known as The Squawk, is in its fifth season and is being built in Chattahoochee Hills, Travel + Leisure reports. The rural city is located in Georgia’s Fulton County and has plenty of hiking trails to explore.
Iceland’s Haifoss waterfall, featured in iconic Stranger Things scenes, has also seen a huge increase in Google searches from interested travelers, according to Tripadvisor research. Bókun.
The terms ‘waterfalls of strange things’, ‘Haifoss twin waterfalls’ and ‘best time of year to visit Iceland’ all experienced a 5,000 per cent increase in searches last month.
Ted Lasso fans have been flocking to Richmond in recent weeks as filming for the fourth season of the Apple TV+ show continues in the South West London town.
Paved Court, a small street in the pretty south-west London town of Richmond, has changed since Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso began using it as a key filming location (Image: Brendan Hunt, left, Jason Sudeikis, right)
The two-storey Ted Lasso store in Paved Court has been attracting thousands of TV fans who have made the pilgrimage to Richmond to spy locations of the show since it first aired in 2020
Although the creators of the series, including Jason Sudeikis, who plays the lead role in the sports comedy drama, claim that the third season will be the last, a new series will arrive towards the end of this year, to the delight of fans.
The show’s key stars and film crews were seen filming scenes in and around Richmond Green, close to the narrow alleyway of Paved Court, where US football coach Ted’s apartment is located in the show.
On the Historic Asphalt Field, salutes to the football coach’s hero can be seen everywhere.
There is now a colorful two-storey merchandising shop selling replicas of AFC Richmond jerseys and even £9.50 boxes of cookies that Lasso made in her show for club owner Rebecca Welton (Waddingham).
In the same area, many stores, including an Italian sandwich shop, hair salons and jewelers, also hung photos of the show or displayed Ted Lasso-themed merchandise in their windows.
