The Most Famous Film Tourism Destinations Around The World (2024)
Want to know about the most famous film tourism destinations around the world? We’ve got you covered with everything you need to know from all the latest studies and trends!
Have you ever watched a movie and then after it ended, kept thinking that the filming locations you just saw seemed really inviting?
If you know that feeling, I’m happy to say you are not the only one!
There are plenty of other tourists who practice what’s also known as film-induced tourism.
Those travelers feel drawn so much to the locations they see in movies, they decide to see and experience them through their own eyes and not on the screen.
In this article, with help from our friend Michal Laszuk from PhotoAiD, we will explore film tourism destinations, one of the biggest travel trends, and take a closer look at all the more interesting statistics and facts.
You will also find a rundown of all the most famous filming locations to visit both in the US, as well as in other parts of the world.
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America’s Most Famous Filming Destinations
If you consider how many American movies and TV series get created every year, you will no doubt come to the conclusion that the US must be filled with famous locations that every film tourist worth their salt must see.
You are right, of course, as there are plenty of places associated with big TV hits that
became popular tourist destinations.
✅ New York City, New York
We’ve got to start with the City that Never Sleeps.
You couldn’t count on the fingers of both of your hands the number of famous shows that took place in New York.
The legendary sitcom Friends, for instance, the award-winning Joker, or Home Alone 2 were mentioned as the most desirable film tourism destinations in New York.
✅ Hawaii
You must not forget about the beautiful islands of Hawaii that became a famous place for tourists thanks to the legendary Jurassic Park.
It’s a perfect example of a place that owes a great deal of its fame to a movie, and rightly so!
✅ Monterey, California
Last but not least, we must turn to a place famous for the widely-beloved drama series, Big Little Lies.
Meryl Street, Reece Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and many others have made such an impression on fans around the world that the city of Monterey became a true landmark on America’s tourist map.
Why not bask in California’s sunlight while recreating scenes from the timeless drama?
Famous Film Tourism Destinations Outside The US
America is not the only place where you can find amazing filming locations, mind you, and that’s why it would be a big shame if we stopped at that and never explored film tourism destinations across the Atlantic.
Plenty of world-renowned movies and TV series were shot on other continents, and if you wish to become an international film tourist, this section is for you.
☑️ The UK and Ireland
One of the most obvious places to visit as a film tourist are, without a shadow of a doubt, the British Isles.
Home to the landscapes we’ve seen in some of the most iconic titles in the history of cinema and television, you will have plenty of choices.
In fact, mentioning the Harry Potter series feels like quite enough to emphasize how
important Great Britain is for film tourists, but in truth, that’s only the beginning.
Fans of Game of Thrones, as well as Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the legendary detective, will feel almost at home visiting places seen previously on TV.
☑️ New Zealand
Who could forget the breathtaking landscapes we admired while following the Fellowship of the Ring in the legendary Lord of the Rings trilogy?
New Zealand is famed for being such an amazing representation of Tolkien’s world of Middle-earth, and an absolute landmark on the world’s film tourism map.
If you want to feel like you were part of the team that swore to bring the One Ring to Mount Doom and defeat the dark lord Sauron, look no further.
☑️ South Korea
Lastly, the respondents in the study pointed to South Korea when talking about the most desirable destinations.
This comes as no surprise at all if we consider the huge success of Squid Game, a TV show that stole the hearts of millions since it aired first in August 2021.
Certainly one of the most talked-about TV shows of the last few years, it has encouraged travelers to visit the beautiful country of South Korea.
The Newest Trend Of Film Tourism Destinations
Now that most travel restrictions have been lifted after rather turbulent recent years, millions of people immediately started catching up on all those postponed plans.
We’re now seeing the effect all those TV shows and movies have had on us while we planned future trips.
What’s interesting is that virtually everyone participating in the survey admitted to already having visited locations associated with their favorite TV shows or movies.
With so many shows available to us, one could argue that you couldn’t go anywhere without stumbling upon a filming location of one or another big production.
It comes as no surprise, then, that a whopping 96% of surveyed said they already visited places connected with their beloved TV show or film productions.
Moreover, it makes sense the more you think about it.
In fact, it would be strange if almost all of us haven’t seen filming locations associated with our favorite shows and movies.
There are so many of them!
Breaking Bad, Friends, and The Walking Dead are just three examples of famous TV shows that made us glued to TV back then and are now affecting our travel plans.
We’ve grown accustomed to spending our free time in front of a TV, with the expectations stating that each of us should reach 437 hours worth of streamed content.
That’s a whole 18 days of non-stop binge-watching!
How much did TV affect our travels?
The study gives us great insight into the impressions surrounding the trend of film tourism in regard to both past trips and those still being planned.
From that 96% of study participants that have admitted to having joined the trend before, most (44%) were happy to confirm that a beloved TV show or a movie was the main reason for picking a specific destination to visit.
Almost 4 in 10 Americans (39%) said the productions they saw on TV have had some influence on their decisions.
Only 17% weren’t inspired to visit places associated with the things they saw on TV.
Even in spite of no shortage of people who ultimately didn’t look to the film industry for inspiration, the idea of film tourism has found plenty of fans.
The majority of those who joined in on the fun (73%) described this branch of cultural tourism as either a positive or a very positive experience.
What are our impressions of film tourism?
The trend put smiles on the faces of so many American tourists, that you can be sure it will go on in 2023.
Following such enthusiastic reception in the study, the question had to be asked:
How likely are you to pick your next destination in 2023 based on a favorite movie, for
instance?
- Very likely – 33%
- Likely – 45%
- Unlikely – 2%
- Very unlikely – 5%
16% of respondents remained neutral, but the overall impressions are clear as day.
American travelers grew to love film tourism and most of them will use Netflix, HBO Max, or Disney+ when researching places to visit in 2023.
Film Destinations: Key Reasons Why They’re Fun
Now that we’ve established how popular film tourism has become and just how many fans it gathered, it’s time to delve even deeper and figure out what makes it so appealing.
The most interesting thing about the motivations behind the trend of film tourism is that there’s no obvious, single reason that rises above all the rest.
Surveyed Americans have come up with several reasons that, in most cases, are just as valid as the rest.
All of them combined give you a clear answer to why the trend was met with such enthusiasm.
- 35% of respondents said they wanted to immerse themselves in the place where their favorite show/movie was filmed;
- 34.9% admitted they wanted to admire the cities where certain productions took place;
- 34.4% wanted to pay a visit to the restaurants that appeared on TV;
- 33.9% wished to discover a place with a story rather than experience a trendy destination;
- 33.6% admitted they wanted to follow places their favorite celebrity visited.
The two most popular reasons are without a doubt connected with locations that appeared in TV shows, where viewers were able to grow familiar with the place thanks to multiple episodes and/or seasons.
Imagine visiting New York City and going to all the places you saw in one of the most legendary sitcoms, How I Met Your Mother If you have seen it, you will no doubt feel like you know the place even if you haven’t technically visited before!
Conclusion: The Most Famous Film Tourism Destinations Around The World
Recent years saw plenty of interesting travel trends come out and film tourism is one of those that gained much attention.
Allowing travelers to connect with amazing locations they know from TV, and landscapes that reminded them of the greatest cinema hits, plenty of Americans decided to join in on the fun.
What’s more, they’re eager to continue on and make film-induced tourism even more popular and meaningful as they’re looking for more inspiration.
Author Bio
Michal Laszuk – A Writer at PhotoAiD by day, and a self-proclaimed movie critic and an avid traveler by night.
Always eager to travel to the most underrated and less popular destinations, he now looks to the far east after seeing almost everything Europe has to offer.
