Britain embraces 'set-jetting' trend

Visitors listen to tour guide Ruby Maidment during a visit to discover the sets of the Netflix series "Bridgerton", in Bath, western England, on July 16, 2024. Image credit: Photography Justin TALLIS / AFP

Standing opposite a mansion in the elegant English city of Bath, Tegan Shirdon marvelled at the window from where Penelope, one of the heroines of "Bridgerton", would eye her love interest Colin in the hit show.

A "huge fan" of the Netflix series which has racked up 300 million views, the 20-year-old Australian student was one of around 30 tourists to descend on the southwestern city recently.

They had come from countries including the Netherlands, Canada, Spain and Japan to admire the setting for the early 19th century romance drama.

Film student Ruby Maidment, their guide for the day, dished out historical anecdotes alongside snippets about "Bridgerton" shoots.  

She pointed to a Marks & Spencer's supermarket sign that made it on-screen after production editors missed it, while noting the handsome fees paid to locals to stay indoors during filming.

"A lot of people when thinking about where to go for holidays, they'll put their favourite show on and go 'Oh, actually, why don't we check out there?'," she told AFP.

This trend has a name: so-called set-jetting. It has emerged in recent years with the rise of streaming platforms, and has boomed further since the Coronavirus pandemic.

Movies and television series have become the leading source of travel inspiration, ahead of social networks, according to online travel group Expedia.

It found that 39 percent of tourists surveyed reported they had chosen a destination after seeing it featured on screen.

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'Motivator'

Set-jetting is "becoming a significant driver and motivator for travel," said Robin Johnson of the VisitBritain tourism authority.

"I think particularly for younger audiences -- Gen Z, millennials -- who are growing up on streaming," he added.

"It really makes sense for us Britain to capitalise on (it), because there is no bigger or better platform to promote a destination than high-end film or TV series. Money can't buy that sort of exposure."

Seven out of 10 international tourists have visited at least one film and TV location during their stay in the UK in the last 10 years, according to VisitBritain. Over 90 percent of potential visitors would be eager to do so in the future, it noted.

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"There is not really much film back home where I am, so if I want to see any set of a TV show I need to come on a 17-hour flight on the other side of the world," said Shirdon, a journalism student.

Enduring franchises such as "James Bond" and "Harry Potter" continue to attract millions of visitors. But more recent productions, such as "Game of Thrones" in Northern Ireland, "Outlander" in Scotland, and more recently "The Crown" as well as "Bridgerton" in England, are sustaining the momentum.

To further boost this "powerful pull", VisitBritain and the British Film Commission, the industry's support agency, plan to launch a joint promotional campaign next year. Called "Starring GREAT Britain", it is aimed at attracting more travellers as well as new productions.

'Transformed'

The campaign will place filming locations and associated visitor experiences "centre-stage, telling the story of Britain's regional diversity to drive visits and spend across the regions", according to the agencies.

"When you look at what has happened in the UK over the last 10 years, the UK is now perceived as one of the biggest places in the world to make film and television," Adrian Wootton, head of the British Film Commission, told AFP.

He noted the country had netted £3.1 billion ($4.1 billion) of foreign investment as a result.

The key to this success? A combination of breathtaking scenery, English-speaking talent, big investment in studios and other filmmaking hubs, as well as generous tax reliefs, he argued.

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"Places like Northern Ireland have been transformed by a series... nobody would have considered it a tourist destination," before "Game of Thrones" and its recent prequel "House of the Dragon", Wootton added.

By the end of 2023, "Bridgerton" had already generated £5 million for the local economy thanks to domestic and international visitors -- and that was before a popular third season aired this year.

"There's definitely so much history in the UK that you don't get as much in Canada, so we love to visit and learn all about the history," Canadian transplant to the UK Emily Maniquet told AFP during a visit to Bath.

"I love British television," she added, noting she had already visited "Harry Potter" filming locations during a trip to Edinburgh.