A version of this article originally appeared in Quartz’s Obsession newsletter. Sign up here to share our Obsessions in your inbox.
Every few years, a show hits so big it reshapes the travel industry. The White Lotus didn’t just mint memes — it spiked bookings at Four Seasons resorts from Hawaii to Sicily to Thailand, making “White Lotus tourism” a thing. But while this may feel like a uniquely modern phenomenon, it’s actually part of a much older tradition: people planning their vacations based on what they’ve seen on screen.
Back in the 1910s, studios in Los Angeles were already struggling to keep fans off their sets. Universal Pictures opened its doors to the public in 1915, offering bleacher seating so crowds could gawk at real productions. (They even threw in lunch and a live cowboy show.) The appetite was massive. People weren’t just curious about stars — they wanted to see the places where movie magic happened.
Fast forward to now, and the trend is enjoying a post-pandemic boom — even amid a broader slowdown in global travel. Whether it’s The Bear sending diners to Chicago or Game of Thrones turning Dubrovnik into a fantasy pilgrimage site, screen-driven tourism has become one of the strongest forces in the industry. Just book a flight below for more details.
By the digits
1 in 7: New Zealanders employed in the tourism industry, in part because of Lord of the Rings.
3 in 5: Gen Z and millennial travelers who say film and TV inspire their travel decisions.
89%: Rise in nationwide beef sales following The Bear’s massive popularity.
$95: Cost of a Breaking Bad RV tour in Albuquerque.
$305,000: Media value of Gucci’s brand exposure on White Lotus, according to one seemingly conservative estimate.
Your next trip is streaming now
For the tourism industry, the boom in screen-driven travel has been a gift that keeps on giving. It’s one thing to promote your beaches and museums — quite another to have Succession do the heavy lifting by filming a wedding in Tuscany. When a show hits, its locations don’t just serve as scenery. They become destinations.
In the U.K., visits to Highclere Castle (aka Downton Abbey) surged after the series aired. Northern Ireland saw a 12% jump in tourism during Game of Thrones’ run. New Mexico leaned hard into Breaking Bad mania, selling Heisenberg hats and offering themed RV tours. And in Chicago, fans of The Bear lined up outside the real Mr. Beef for a taste of Carmy’s chaos — even though the fictional kitchen isn’t quite the same.
The appeal isn’t just about celebrity or aesthetics. It’s about immersion. Travelers want to experience their favorite stories. And thanks to social media, that pilgrimage becomes public. A snapshot in front of Emily in Paris’s go-to bakery? That’s content.
This creates a feedback loop: Shows shape travel, travel fuels buzz, buzz drives more streaming. And studios are in on it. Filming locations have become branding tools—integrated into a show’s marketing strategy from Day One.
As cultural historian Daniel Boorstin once wrote, “People go to see what they already know is there.” That, he argued, is the essence of modern travel: less about discovery, more about confirmation. A screen fever dream, booked round-trip.
Quotable
“People go to see what they already know is there. The only thing to record, the only possible source of surprise, is their own reaction.”
—Daniel Boorstin, The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-events in America
Brief history
2004: Lost crashes onto ABC — and onto Oahu. The show kicks off a new wave of fans visiting Hawaii in search of jungle treks and mysterious hatches.
2008: Breaking Bad begins airing on AMC. Over time, Albuquerque becomes a pilgrimage site for superfans eager to snap selfies with car washes, chicken joints, and RVs that scream “meth lab.”
2011: Game of Thrones makes its debut and promptly transforms Northern Ireland, Croatia, and Iceland into Westeros. Local tourism boards rejoice.
2021: The White Lotus premieres on HBO, and Four Seasons resorts in Hawaii and Sicily become the hottest tickets in luxury travel—despite the show’s less-than-flattering portrayals of rich people on vacation.
2023: Expedia crowns film and TV tourism its No. 1 travel trend, officially validating what fans (and Instagram) already knew. Also that year, one analysis estimates The White Lotus generates $1.4 billion in advertising value for its featured locations.
Fun fact!
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy boosted New Zealand tourism not just immediately after the films’ release, but for decades — and helped create a whole new travel niche: Tolkien tourism. You can still visit Hobbiton, complete with round doors and pints at The Green Dragon Inn.