2 In 3 Choose Holidays Based On Film Locations

A new study has revealed that two thirds of foreign tourists choose which holiday destinations to visit in the UK, based on film locations.

The research, commissioned by BlueChipHolidays.co.uk, involved 2,345 individuals from countries outside of the UK, and asked them which destinations in the UK were the most popular for visiting – and why.

The results revealed that 67% of respondents said filming locations do influence where they go on holiday, while more than half of foreign tourists admitted they visit London due to the Harry Potter movies.

Participants were asked which UK holiday destination was their favourite to visit, with London topping the list with 28% of the vote. Cornwall (22%) and the Lake District (11%) finished in second and third spot, respectively, while Edinburgh (7%) and Wiltshire (4%) rounded off the top five locations.

The team behind the survey then wanted to discover if the nationality of the respondents impacted where their favourite locations are in the UK. Of the 321, Germans who took part in the research, 34% named Scotland as their favourite place to visit in Great Britain. Americans, however, preferred to visit London (67%), with 49% of French tourists stating Cornwall as their favourite location.

Respondents were then asked how they decided where they wanted to visit in the UK – and topping the list with 67% of the vote was, "the location was featured in a movie/television series I watch", beating "beautiful scenery" (58%), "nightlife" (39%), and "historic sites to visit" (33%).

Tori Kirwan-Taylor, Brand & Communications Manager of bluechipholidays.co.uk, said: "Great British holidays can really be exciting for foreigners due to the rich history so many of our holiday destinations have. However we found it very interesting to see that different countries seem to prefer certain places over others.

"We also found it interesting that so many chose to go on holiday at certain destinations because of film locations! We're really lucky in the UK to boast so many different types of scenery which makes us one of the best places to film. It's really great to hear that it's helping our tourist industry and I hope this continues into the future!"

(JP)