Set-Jetting in 2025: Living the Dream

On a quiet street in Paris’ Latin Quarter, a charming café has become an international landmark. Mais comment? Not because of its food offerings, but because it appeared for a few minutes in a couple of scenes of Emily in Paris. Every day, tourists take selfies with the awning, order a badly pronounced pain au chocolat, and tag their location. Café de Flore turned from a cozy spot to a living film set you can eat in. This phenomenon is called set-jetting (defined as the practice of visiting places used as locations in feature films by Dictionary.com). Travelers are increasingly choosing destinations based on what they watch, substituting GetYourGuide and TripAdvisor for Netflix. Once considered a niche habit of movie superfans, set-jetting has now gone mainstream, shaping hotel bookings and local economies alike.

The idea of visiting a film location is not new. New Zealand has long leaned into its Lord of the Rings landscapes just as much as Salzburg has thrived on The Sound of Music. But the rise of global streaming services has accelerated and diversified the trend to newer dimensions. Unlike in the past, when a handful of blockbusters dictated the flow of travel, today, a plethora of shows and films inspire fans to pack their bags. A single hit series can catapult a previously overlooked town into the global spotlight seemingly overnight. What’s more, social media amplifies this effect: travelers want not only to visit the sites but also to prove they have been there.

To name a few examples (but also potential bucket list options for your next vacation), I’ll detail three such destinations. Evidemment, we have to start with what inspired this deep dive: c’est Paris. Emily in Paris is arguably one of the most detested shows by the French, but even Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged the positive impact it has had on French tourism. While tourists might not get tangled up with a few situationships, they can still explore the City of Love through Emily’s eyes. Last year, I booked “The Official Emily in Paris Locations Walking Tour” which cost me 40 euros, three hours, and ultimately led the group to only 3 locations. While slightly disappointing, it is no doubt that with some research and planning, you can execute the perfect show-inspired trip without relying too much on experts.

Going slightly south, The White Lotus, and specifically Jennifer Coolidge’s unforgettable character, may have inspired a few too many to click “book now” for Sicily. The second season of the show turned San Domenico Palace, a luxury resort in Taormina, into a global bucket-list destination. Demand for reservations surged so dramatically that the hotel had to establish waiting lists, while nearby towns saw a ripple effect in bookings as fans scrambled for any accommodation with a view of Mount Etna or the Ionian Sea. Similarly, local tour operators quickly added “White Lotus walks” to their offerings.

If, however, you want something a little more classic, look across the Adriatic to Dubrovnik. Still grappling with its Game of Thrones legacy, the Croatian city has become a textbook example of set-jetting’s complications. The medieval Old Town, with its fortified walls and marble streets, gained enormous visibility as “King’s Landing,” drawing millions of fans eager to walk in the footsteps of their favorite characters.

However, for many communities, set-jetting is both a blessing and a challenge. A florist in Paris, for example, can become a global hotspot thanks to a few seconds of screen time, while a rural hotel in Ireland might find itself booked years in advance after appearing in a romantic drama. Beyond economics, there is also a sense of cultural pride: seeing one’s hometown or heritage displayed on screens around the world can foster renewed appreciation among residents. Yet these benefits come with complications. A sudden influx of visitors can distort daily life, driving up rent and pushing out locals. Quiet neighborhoods may be overrun with tour groups, while businesses risk shifting from tradition to fan service, selling gimmicky experiences instead of authentic culture.

Tourism boards are beginning to see opportunity: some are actively courting film productions, offering tax incentives in exchange for the guaranteed visitor boom. In return, production companies now work with local governments to manage visitor flows and create official tours. Technology is also pushing the phenomenon further: augmented reality apps are already allowing fans to overlay scenes onto real-world locations, and AI itineraries can craft “live like your favorite character” travel packages.
Set-jetting does not seem to be decreasing in popularity anytime soon. The question remains: will travelers tire of screen-based wanderlust, or will this only deepen? If current trends are any guide, the latter seems more likely.