According to Adam Duckworth, president and founder of Travelmation, “Set-jetting is a hot travel trend where travelers are building trips around their favorite TV shows or movies. This trend has exploded over the past year, thanks to the extreme popularity of shows like ‘Yellowstone’ and ‘The White Lotus.’”
Expedia’s Unpack ’24 Study surveyed 20,000 people, and more than half of the participants in the study said they researched a potential travel destination after seeing it on a television show.
Travelers participating in the study mentioned they get vacation inspiration from television shows over social media or travel agencies.
National Geographic noted this trend is not new for television and movie super fans. The outlet reported one in five travelers to New Zealand are fans of “The Hobbit” or “The Lord of the Rings.”
Below are some hot travel destinations that have been highlighted on major television shows.
Montana, ‘Yellowstone’
Duckworth told Fox News Digital his company has seen a huge increase in demand for travel to Montana because people want to live like the Dutton family.
“We have clients contacting us regularly to set up trips to Yellowstone National Park. And get this — you can stay right where they film the Dutton Family Ranch, but you better book early,” he explained.
The Washington Post reported in 2023 that the Bureau of Business and Economic Research and the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism & Recreation Research’s study showed that 2 million tourists said “Yellowstone” inspired them to visit Montana in 2021.
Lucy Beighle, communications director for Glacier Country Tourism of Western Montana, told The Washington Post, “We definitely have seen an uptick in interest because of ‘Yellowstone.’ If Montana wasn’t already on the map, and if people have seen ‘Yellowstone,’ it certainly is now.”
