A sampling of set-jet destinations from movies and shows. Getty, Everett Collection, Courtesy Villa Laura From the “White Lotus effect” and “Outlander tourism” to the K-pop drama Crash Landing on You inspiring getaways to Switzerland, the screen has become a pretty persuasive travel agent. More and more, that means travelers aren’t just booking vacations; they’re booking trips to places they first fell for onscreen.
Whether it’s fans chasing their own Emily in Paris moment in the City of Light or Heated Rivalry devotees trying to book the real cabin from the show, the influence is hard to miss. Even Christopher Nolan’s not-yet-released The Odyssey is already driving interest in its filming locations in the Peloponnese in Greece. As Cathy Whitlock, author of the upcoming On Location: Cinematic Journeys to the World’s Most Iconic Film Locales (Quarto Books), says, “People want to step inside the story. Film and television don’t simply showcase locations — they mythologize them. We often travel not just to see a place, but to inhabit the version that cinema first imagined for us.”
The impact is real. According to Expedia, set-jetting — as the trend of Hollywood-influenced travel is known — is projected to become a potential $8 billion industry in the United States. Among Gen Z and millennial travelers, 81 percent say they plan trips based on what they’ve seen onscreen, while 53 percent of travelers say their desire to take a set-jetting trip has increased. “People are chasing stories and feelings,” says Nicky Kelvin of travel website The Points Guy. “It all becomes more real and accessible.”
Studios and streamers have noticed. “Film and TV productions are chasing different visual looks now. We will see more productions using locations as a way to bring in audiences in an aspirational way,” says Theresa Kang, CEO and founder of Blue Marble Pictures and Blue Marble Management.
While set-jetting may be booming, it’s hardly a new phenomenon. As THR’s list of 100 destinations made famous by films and TV shows makes clear, the effect goes back to classics like Roman Holiday, La Dolce Vita, Blue Hawaii and The Sound of Music. The itinerary, in other words, has been building for a long time.
This story appears in The Hollywood Reporter’s 2026 Travel Issue. Click here to read more.
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Amélie (2001)
Image Credit: ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP via Getty Images Café des Deux Moulins (Paris)
At the corner of 15 Rue Lepic in Montmartre, this bistro with bright red awnings is where the romantic comedy’s protagonist, Amélie Poulain, worked as a shy, quirky waitress. It has been a magnet for tourists seeking out “Amélie’s café” ever since.
