Location, location, vacation

They say ‘seeing is believing’ and British travellers are taking this to heart with over a third (34 per cent) of Brits saying they have been inspired to holiday or travel to a destination after seeing it in a film, according to research* released today by travelsupermarket.com.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the ‘screenspiration’ trend is strongest amongst the younger generation – half (50 per cent) of those under the age of 30 have taken inspiration for holiday destinations from the big screen. But, not to be outdone, a quarter of those over 70 (25 per cent) have also visited locations featured in films.

The weak pound is making traditional eurozone and US holiday destinations more expensive for Brits than in previous times, however current exchange rates are also making Britain an increasingly attractive location for film productions and holidaymakers alike. Almost three quarters of Brits (72 per cent) plan to holiday in the UK this year – and films such as the newly released ‘The Young Victoria’** present more and more options for film-featured UK sites and attractions.

Peter Smith, travel expert at travelsupermarket.com, said: “We all have our daydreams of visiting the beautiful places we see on the big screen, but it seems that we are living the dream and visiting these places for real.

“Britain is a hot choice this year for holidaymakers from both the UK and abroad, and has a hugely diverse range of attractions on offer. From city breaks to countryside retreats, activity holidays to beaches, there really is something for everyone. And what better to showcase this than new films, like The Young Victoria, shot on location throughout the UK, to drive visitors looking for ‘screenspiration’ here?”

Londoners (45 per cent) are most likely to be inspired by a film location, followed by those in the North West (37 per cent) and those in Wales (35 per cent) or the South East (35 per cent). Those most likely to holiday in the UK this year are Welsh residents (78 per cent), those in the North East and Yorkshire (77 per cent) and those in the North West (75 per cent) and the Midlands (75 per cent).

travelsupermarket.com’s top ‘location vacation’ destinations:

1. Slumdog Millionaire – India
2. The Beach – Thailand
3. Australia – Australia
4. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Cephalonia
5. Lord of the Rings – New Zealand
6. Memoirs of a Geisha – Kyoto, Japan
7. Braveheart – Scotland
8. Out of Africa – Kenya
9. Hideous Kinky – Marrakech, Morocco
10. Ocean’s Eleven – Las Vegas

* All stats taken from research carried out on behalf of travelsupermareket.com by Opinium in February 2009, among 2,061 adults residing in the UK.

** Released in cinemas yesterday (Friday 6 March), The Young Victoria was filmed at a variety of UK of beautiful locations across the UK including the stately Arundel Castle in West Sussex, Wilton House in Wiltshire, Blenheim Palace on Oxfordshire, Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire and Lincoln Cathedral in Lincolnshire.