By MOOK Travel & Lifestyle Network, Li Xinyi | Compiled and Reported
Global online hotel booking service provider Hotels.com recently analyzed the search habits of British travelers to identify the movies from 2012 with the greatest potential to spark travel trends this year. The results showed that "The Descendants," starring George Clooney, topped the list. The film’s setting on Hawaii’s enchanting beaches and the island of Kauai led to a significant surge in interest in the area after its release. Compared to January 2011, searches for Hawaii on Hotels.com increased by 282% in January 2012.
The locations where "Skyfall" was filmed, mostly in Istanbul, also fueled a local tourism boom. (Image provided by Moleskine Editorial Department)
"Skyfall" (SKYFALL) not only won the 2013 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song but also performed exceptionally well in this survey. The thrilling chase scene at the beginning of the film, shot in Istanbul, led to a 171% increase in searches for the city. Additionally, Shanghai, another filming location, saw a 108% spike in search rates compared to the same period last year.
Fictional settings from fantasy films have also become popular vacation destinations among British travelers. For example, the box-office hit "The Hunger Games," filmed in Asheville, North Carolina, USA, led to a 141% rise in searches for the area. Following the December 2012 release of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," searches for New Zealand on Hotels.com increased by 114%. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2" successfully drew fans to Vancouver, with searches for the city rising by 89% in November 2012.
Shanghai, one of the most representative cities in China, frequently appears in films. (Image provided by Moleskine Editorial Department)
Regarding search trend changes on Hotels.com Taiwan for Taiwanese travelers, the Hawaiian filming locations of "The Descendants" remained the top choice, with a 77% increase in searches during the month of the film’s release. Vancouver, the filming location of the blockbuster hit in Taiwan "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2," came in second place (59%), while Shanghai, featured in "Skyfall" (SKYFALL), ranked third (54%).
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