Now Trending: Location Vacations
Fiction becomes reality for jet setters inspired by their favourite books, TV shows and movies.
Some call it the White Lotus effect: the sudden urge to hop on a plane to Hawaii, Sicily and soon Thailand after watching seasons one, two and (soon) three of the HBO series. But the idea of set-jetting to the destinations featured in our favourite TV shows and films is not new by any stretch. Take the Lord of the Rings phenomenon in New Zealand, where Tolkienites still visit the set of Hobbiton more than 20 years on.
Forty-one percent of Canadian travellers say they have either considered or booked a trip after being inspired by a location they’ve spotted on screen, shares Melanie Fish, head of Global Public Relations at Expedia. Fish is no stranger to the trend herself, with dreams of singing and dancing her way across Greece’s sun-drenched Skopelos and Skiathos islands thanks to Mama Mia!. Around 10 years ago, she also made the pilgrimage to Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, in search of Anne of Green Gables literary locales. “Literary-inspired trips are probably the original form of set-jetting,” she says.
With the May release of the novel This Summer Will Be Different by Toronto-based author Carley Fortune, this summer was indeed different in Charlottetown and other island settings in the book, as readers set out to follow in the characters’ footsteps. “Just convinced my husband to take me to PEI in August for oysters and lobster rolls and Cows Creamery!” one fan wrote in a comment on one of Fortune’s Instagram posts.
As Corryn Clemence, chief executive officer of the Tourism Industry Association of PEI notes, Fortune’s book has the ability “to reintroduce Prince Edward Island to past visitors through a new lens,” and “attract a younger demographic” keen to channel their own main-character energy.
Coming Soon
Malta
For Gladiator II, the sequel to his epic historical drama, Ridley Scott returns to Malta, where the set and sites (like the commanding 17th-century Fort Ricasoli) stand in for ancient Rome.
Release date: November 2024
Czechia
Prague’s Invalidovna complex features in the star-studded remake of Nosferatu, while the capital’s Old Town and National Theatre appear in Ballerina, part of the John Wick universe.
Release dates: December 2024 and mid-2025
Canary Island
The Spanish archipelago welcomed the crew of Guy Ritchie’s next action thriller, In the Grey, to Tenerife, which plays host to chase scenes and goings-on at the casino in Plaza de la Candelaria.
Release date: January 2025
Peru
Set in the Amazonian rainforests and majestic mountains of Peru, Paddington in Peru explores the birthplace of its titular character, with Machu Picchu among the film locations.
Release date: January 2025 (North America)
Thailand
The third season of black-comedy anthology The White Lotus will focus on death and spirituality in Thailand, with the tropical Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui standing in as the fictional hotel.
Release date: 2025