Movies Drive Tourism Boom: "The Descendants" and "Skyfall" Scenes Among Most Popular

Text by MOOK Traveler's Life Net Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

 

Global online hotel booking service provider Hotels.com recently analyzed the search habits of British travelers to identify the films in 2012 with the potential to spark tourism trends this year. The results show that "The Descendants," starring George Clooney, topped the list, with the film’s setting on Hawaii’s enchanting beaches and the island of Kauai leading to a significant surge in the destination’s popularity after the movie’s release. Compared to January 2011, searches for Hawaii on Hotels.com increased by 282% in January 2012.

"Skyfall" not only won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 2013 but also performed exceptionally well in this survey. The thrilling chase scene at the beginning of the film was shot in Istanbul, causing a 171% increase in searches for the city. In addition, Shanghai, another filming location, saw a 108% spike in search rates compared to the same period last year.

 

Fictional settings from fantasy movies are also highly favored by British travelers, becoming popular vacation destinations. For example, the box office hit "The Hunger Games," filmed in Asheville, North Carolina, USA, led to a 141% increase in searches for the area. After "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" was released in December 2012, searches for New Zealand on Hotels.com rose by 114%. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2" successfully inspired fans to visit Vancouver, with search rates for the city rising by 89% in November 2012.

Regarding search rate changes on the Hotels.com Taiwan website by Taiwanese travelers, the Hawaiian filming location of "The Descendants" remained in first place, with a 77% increase in search rates during the month of its release. Vancouver, the filming site of the blockbuster "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2" in Taiwan, ranked second (59%), while Shanghai, featured in "Skyfall," came in third (54%).

 

 

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