The White Lotus, Bridgeton, K-dramas: How set-jetting tourism is straining trending destinations

The lakeside colony of Hallstatt successful Austria is location to astir 800 residents. But it receives a staggering 10,000 visitors a time during highest periods. 

The throngs of visitors travel to photograph nan Alpine houses, steep upland peaks and religion steeple that are thought to person inspired scenery successful nan Disney movie Frozen. 

Selfie-snapping visitant numbers person go truthful unmanageable that exasperated residents concisely erected a obstruction to artifact nan iconic position successful 2023. 

This inclination for visiting destinations that look successful aliases person inspired TV shows and films has been dubbed set-jetting - and it’s proving problematic.  

Many destinations deficiency nan infrastructure aliases are simply excessively mini to woody pinch nan abrupt flood of visitors. 

Travelling to nan shooting locations of films and TV shows is not caller - New Zealand has been drafting ‘Lord of nan Rings’ fans since nan early 2000s.

But a operation of pandemic binge-watching, lifted recreation restrictions and spectacular settings has supercharged this wanderlust.

What is set-jetting?

Set-jetting is simply a word that has been coined for holidays based connected nan shooting locations of films aliases TV series.

It is having a powerful effect connected bookings. In 2023, recreation hunt motor Expedia recovered that streamed movies and TV shows were nan apical sources of recreation inspiration astatine 44 per cent, acold outpacing nan power of societal media astatine 15 per cent.

In nan UK, 46 per cent of travellers surveyed considered visiting a destination aft seeing it connected a show aliases movie connected a streaming platform, and 36 per cent had already booked trips.

The hilltop municipality of Taormina successful Sicily has ever been a summertime hotspot, but it has enjoyed a tourism bonanza precocious acknowledgment to nan glamorous HBO thriller ‘The White Lotus’, whose 2nd play is group connected nan Italian land (specifically successful nan Four Seasons’ San Domenico Palace).

Dashing Regency-era play ‘Bridgerton’ shone a spotlight connected England’s play houses.

One mounting was Hampton Court Palace, erstwhile nan location of King Henry VIII, successful nan London Borough of Richmond. The Grade I listed building is simply a majestic operation of Tudor and Baroque architecture pinch 60 acres of manicured gardens.

Supernatural drama ‘Wednesday’ led to an uptick successful tourism successful Romania. Scenes were filmed successful nan Buftea studios conscionable extracurricular nan superior Bucharest, wherever fans tin circuit nan sets.

Korean dramas (K-dramas) person besides sparked tourism trends. Switzerland has seen an uptick successful Asian visitors to places specified arsenic Interlaken, Grindelwald, and Iseltwald, which featured successful nan Korean TV show, ‘Crash Landing connected You’.

K-drama deed ‘Queen of Tears’, released successful 2024, has inspired trips to Berlin and Potsdam successful Germany to travel successful nan footsteps of nan show’s honeymooning couple. 

Set-jetting sparks overtourism concerns

Set-jetting turns problematic erstwhile location is simply a abrupt surge of visitors to an unprepared destination pursuing nan merchandise of a TV show aliases film. 

Hallstatt, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been on-screen celebrated since earlier nan COVID-19 pandemic. 

Millions of group visited each year, peculiarly from East and South East Asia. It was featured connected a Korean TV show successful 2006 and a replica of nan municipality was built successful Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China successful 2011.

But numbers skyrocketed aft nan merchandise of Frozen. The municipality has had to present regular limits connected nan number of buses and cars that tin enter, but it regularly reaches these caps. 

Mayor Scheutz told nan Austrian property that residents conscionable want to beryllium near alone.

Dubrovnik, though considerably bigger than Hallstatt, is likewise overwhelmed by set-jetters - it was a cardinal filming location for play 2 of HBO’s epic imagination play ‘Game of Thrones’. 

The confederate Croatian metropolis now ranks apical connected nan database of overtouristed destinations, according to findings by Statista.

The metropolis has a organization of conscionable complete 41,000 and welcomed almost 1.5 cardinal visitors successful 2019. That’s astir 36 tourists per resident.

The detrimental effects of these numbers are clear to see. Dubrovnik suffers from postulation jams arsenic circuit buses parkland up extracurricular nan Old Town walls; nan excessive visitant numbers mean harm to infrastructure, and section residents are being priced out.

The biology effect of set-jetting tourism

Another salient lawsuit of set-jetting’s acheronian broadside is Thailand’s Maya Bay. The coastal spot was featured successful Leonardo DiCaprio’s 2000 movie The Beach, and instantly drew hordes of tourists. 

What was erstwhile a pristine, paradisiacal formation was swarmed pinch visitors who had small respect for nan environment. 

Such was nan harm to nan coral reefs from speedboats that authorities chose to adjacent nan area to visitors for astir 4 years to let marine life to recover. 

It reopened successful 2022 pinch a headdress connected visitant numbers and a swimming ban. 

Will The White Lotus bring overtourism to France?

The 4th bid of The White Lotus, expected to beryllium released successful precocious 2026 aliases early 2027, will beryllium group location successful France, stars of nan show person revealed. 

Given it is apt to usage a Four Seasons’ edifice arsenic successful erstwhile series, speculation for nan filming location is focused connected properties successful Paris, Megève and nan Côte d'Azur.

France was nan world’s astir visited state successful 2024, pinch complete 100 cardinal arrivals recorded. 

Some areas are emotion nan strain. Residents successful 1 of Paris' astir celebrated tourer neighbourhoods, Montmartre, person precocious pushed backmost against overtourism. 

Atop nan elevation wherever nan Basilica of Sacré-Cœur crowns nan city's skyline, they lament what they telephone nan “Disneyfication” of nan once-bohemian portion of Paris. 

The basilica says it now attracts up to 11 cardinal group a year, moreover much than nan Eiffel Tower, while regular life successful nan neighbourhood has been overtaken by tuk-tuks, circuit groups, photograph queues and short-term rentals.

The French Riviera edifice of Cannes is imposing what its metropolis assembly calls “drastic regulation” connected cruise ships, halving nan number of very ample ships allowed successful its harbour and capping nan regular number of rider visits astatine 6,000 starting adjacent year.

The purpose is to prohibition each ships carrying much than 1,300 group by 2030, nan metropolis hallway said successful a statement.

But successful general, France has been acold little vocal astir wide tourism problems than neighbouring countries for illustration Spain aliases Italy. 

A committedness to sustainable tourism, beardown infrastructure and a strategy to dispersed visitors crossed regions and seasons each play a part.

Unlike galore countries now scrambling to rein successful mass tourism, France started laying nan groundwork years ago.

Atout France, nan country’s tourism improvement agency, has made sustainability a cardinal tenet of its strategy. Under a 10-year roadmap - nan Destination France Plan - nan authorities earmarked €1.9 cardinal successful 2021 to promote greener, much responsible travel.

That intends pushing for obstruction recreation complete short-haul flights, investing successful mid-sized cities and nudging visitors beyond nan accustomed suspects, for illustration Paris aliases Nice.

The state doubled down this year, pinch a caller promise to put successful tourism that’s much ecological, inclusive and digitally savvy. Tourism leaders dream that finance results successful longer stays, smaller crowds and much meaningful experiences.

But it remains to beryllium seen if ‘The White Lotus effect’ will upset this delicate balance.