The Little Mermaid fuels 216% increase in searches for Sardinia

The Little Mermaid fuels 216% increase in searches for filming location Sardinia as fans look to dive into the world of Princess Ariel as part of a new ‘set-jetting’ trend

• Film buffs are jetting off in search of their favourite set locations, easyJet said
• The White Lotus and House of the Dragon are also igniting wanderlust 
• READ MORE: TikToker reveals ‘the things in the U.S that make no sense to a Brit’

There has been a huge spike in holiday searches for Sardinia after fans of The Little Mermaid discovered the Disney box office hit was filmed on location on the island.

Following the release in May of the live-action remake of the iconic 1989 cartoon there was a 216 per cent increase in searches to the Mediterranean destination on the easyJet Holidays website.

Fans are ‘flooding online’ to book their own watery adventure on the Italian island where Halle Bailey, who plays Ariel, was filmed on the shore alongside Jonah Hauer-King, who plays Prince Eric, easyJet Holidays said.

The film follows the adventures of the mermaid princess Ariel who is fascinated with the human world and makes a deal with a treacherous sea witch to trade her voice for a life above the water.

The surge in searches for Sardinia is part of a new ‘set-jetting trend’ where film buffs take to the skies in search of ‘destinations providing TV escapism’, easyJet Holidays said.

The Little Mermaid fans are ‘flooding online’ to book their own adventure in Sardinia where the 2023 Disney remake was filmed on location

The surge in searches for Sardinia, above, is part of a new ‘set-jetting trend’, says easyJet Holidays

POPULAR SET-JETTING DESTINATIONS IN EUROPE 

Online searches are surging for the following hotspots: 

• Sardinia, Italy: The Little Mermaid has fuelled a 216 per cent increase in holiday searches.

• Sicily, Italy: The White Lotus is behind a 198 per cent increase in searches.

• Turkey: Aftersun has led to a 162 per cent increase in search interest.

• Paris, France: Emily in Paris has encouraged a 143 per cent increase.

• Granada, Spain: House of The Dragon has inspired a 132 per cent increase.

• Greece: Glass Onion has led to a 122 per cent increase in searches.

 Source: EasyJet Holidays

Its findings point to a ‘significant year-on-year increase’ in the new trend, which is being driven by ‘the prevalence of international settings in popular TV shows and movies’.

The travel site revealed that the second season of Emmy-winning drama The White Lotus resulted in a tourism spike of 198 per cent to Sicily, ‘as wanderlusters seek to holiday like wealthy but miserable romantic Tanya McQuoid-Hunt and her put-upon assistant, Portia’.

The premiere season of House of the Dragon, meanwhile, inspired die hard ‘Thronies’, said easyJet Holidays, ‘to flock to the Spanish city of Granada, which has seen a 132 per cent increase in searches’.

Similarly, a statement said, Paris is seeing ‘unwavering interest year on year as hopeful romantics yearn for their own Emily in Paris experience’. Searches for trips there have rocketed by 143 per cent.

EasyJet Holidays added that ‘everyone’s favourite murder-mystery of 2022, Glass Onion, has influenced a 122 per cent increase in searches to the Greek islands’, while coming-of-age drama Aftersun has triggered a reported 162 per cent increase in searches for the destination where it was shot – Turkey.

This revelation has inspired a new genre of package holidays for fans wanting to bring TV and film fantasies to life.

EasyJet Holidays has crafted a ‘Jetflix fix’ for ‘keen telly-travellers’ to immerse themselves in their favourite on-screen worlds in destinations such as Sicily and Paris.

Commercial director Paul Bixby said: ‘We all seek escapism through our screens and so it’s no surprise that our favourite TV shows and movies are influencing our travel choices.’ 

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