For true film buffs, nothing could be more exciting than actually visiting the locations and structures used as settings in their favorite films. The number of travelers who have become caught up in the desire to combine travel with entertainment tourism increases every year. You want stats? The Annals of Tourism Research have recorded an increase of 50% in movie location tourism in the past few years. Now, travelers who make it a point to visit places where their favorite films are set have their own name: set jetters.
In the United States alone an estimated five million movie fans choose to spend their holidays visiting filming locations. Due to the increase in demand, many travel and tour companies are now offering package deals that specifically include movie locations as destinations. This booming source of tourist money has prompted the U.S. Department of Commerce to set up a million dollar fund for a marketing campaign entitled "You've Seen the Movie, Now Visit the Set".
The U.S.A. is far from the only country capitalizing on this new travel trend. New Zealand has seen a surge of set jetters visiting Peter Jackson's version of Middle Earth from the epic trilogy Lord of the Rings. Similar movie locations such those picturesque places seen in the film Eat, Pray, Love are also experiencing an uptick in tourist traffic.
In Europe, set jetters can be spotted flocking towards Dunkurque, France (one of the locations used in the Keira Knightley-James McAvoy film Atonement) and the Belgian city of Bruges (background for the British black comedy film In Bruges, described by actor Ralph Feinnes in the film as a fairy tale town).
The Sean Penn film Into the Wild, based on a real-life story, is partly set in the dramatic and rugged Alaskan wilderness. Believe it or not, jet setters are even flocking to Alaska; they are literally following Emile Hirsch's footsteps into the wild.
The popularity of set jetting is good news for smaller countries that have had trouble attracting tourists in the past. On the flip side, there are more well-known locales that have also been featured in the movies that aren't necessarily hot spots for set jetters. For example, Edinburgh and London have both been used as the setting for very dark films about heroin addicts and zombies. Many set jetters aren't interested Fortunately, those two cities are historical enough to attract tourists for a different reason.
Set Jetters are a valuable demographic for the tourist offices of small countries, such as New Zealand. One might not be the greatest fan of hobbits, but promoting the location through its association with a blockbuster film (and accompanying tour package) will definitely boost tourism and satisfy the needs of film fanatics and perhaps create a few future set jetters at the same time.
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