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How do you choose your next holiday destination? Friends, social media sites or travel agents might influence our decision – but it turns out a lot of us are also inspired by what we see on screen. 

It’s something travel experts call “set jetting” – a trend that has frequently boosted tourist numbers at filming locations.

Data given exclusively to the Sky News Money blog by Expedia shows popular BBC reality series The Traitors – filmed at Ardross Castle – has caused searches for hotels in the Highlands to rocket.

The Traitors presenter Claudia Winkleman. Pic: Studio Lambert/Mark Mainz/BBC
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The Traitors presenter Claudia Winkleman. Pic: Studio Lambert/Mark Mainz/BBC

A month after the final episode of the first series aired in 2022, there was a 72% increase in searches.

During the same period, flight searches in the Scottish Highlands also increased by 32%.

Meanwhile, the Jamie Dornan-led series The Tourist appeared to boost searches for holidays in Adelaide in South Australia.

Jamie Dornan in The Tourist Pic: BBC
Image:
Jamie Dornan in The Tourist Pic: BBC

Two months after the first season aired, there was a 56% increase in hotel searches for Adelaide.

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Flight searches increased by 37% in one month.

With both series currently airing their second season, it seems likely they could each prompt another increase in travellers.

Expedia previously predicted 13 more TV and film locations likely to be popular in 2024, based on show and film releases and travel data.

  • Thailand, inspired by The White Lotus season three
  • Paris, inspired by Emily In Paris season four
  • The Highlands, inspired by the remaining seasons of Outlander
  • London, Bath and Windsor, inspired by the new season of Bridgerton and The Crown season six
  • Malta, inspired by the new Gladiator 2 film
  • Korea, inspired by Squid Game season two
  • Romania, inspired by Wednesday season two
  • Florida Keys and the Bahamas, inspired by Apple TV show Bad Monkey
  • Australia, inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s Faraway Downs and the Mad Max prequel Furiosa
  • Greece, inspired by new spy action thriller Argylle
Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus Season 2. Pic: HBO
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Jennifer Coolidge in The White Lotus Season 2. Pic: HBO

Read more:
The couple who ‘sold everything’ to live on cruise ships forever
Why 2024 could be the worst year ever for ‘overtourism’

How popular is set jetting?

A July 2023 report by Voucher Codes found most people (65.7%) have not booked a TV show or film destination for a holiday – but that still leaves a significant chunk of people who have.

Here are the top places people have booked because of TV shows or films, according to their survey:

  • Greece (Mamma Mia) – 9.49%
  • NYC (Sex And The City, Gossip Girl) – 6.74%
  • Majorca (Love Island) – 6.14%
  • Paris (Emily In Paris) – 5.99%
  • Croatia (Game Of Thrones) – 5.59%
  • New Zealand (Lord Of The Rings) – 5.49%
  • Australia (Married At First Sight) – 5.24%
  • Iceland (Game Of Thrones) – 4.69%
  • Northern Ireland (Game Of Thrones) – 4.64%
  • South Africa (Love Island) – 4.49%
  • Sicily (White Lotus) – 3.69%

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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Boy dies after ‘getting into difficulty’ in lake in southeast London

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Boy dies after 'getting into difficulty' in lake in southeast London

A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.

Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.

The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.

“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.

The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.

The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.

In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.

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google street view inside Beckenham Place park, Lewisham where a 16 y/o boy is missing after getting into difficulty in a lake
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Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon

Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.

The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.

It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.

“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”

Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.

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