It has been a remarkable few years of changes in the travel landscape. We saw a dramatic surge in travel demand after the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, and there appears to be no letup in sight.
Lights, camera, go! An emerging travel trend gets visitors to Malta on the location of Gladiator II
30.11.2024 - 03:03 / euronews.com / Ridley Scott
Screen tourism has become a global phenomenon, inspiring wanderlust through the magic of movies and television.
As modern productions grow more cinematic and immersive, they blur the lines between fiction and travel, inspiring fans to explore the destinations they see on screen.
Gladiator II, the highly anticipated sequel to Ridley Scott’s 2000 classic, brings this phenomenon to life.
Starring Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington, the film has reignited interest in Malta, where much of the production took place, and showcases the island's historic architecture against a backdrop of cinematic spectacle.
While this archipelago in the central Mediterranean Sea is already a draw for filmenthusiasts, visitor numbers are expected to surge as fans flock to experience the locations featured in the new blockbuster movie.
In recent years, screen tourism - or set-jetting - has emerged as one of the fastest-growing trends in the travel industry.
This is an area of tourism that’s seen exponential growth in the last ten years," says Seren Welch, a screen tourism specialist.
The data also supports this: Expedia’s trends research in 2023 showed that 40 per cent of trips that were booked on their platform were influenced by film or TV shows.
Streaming platform giants like Netflix have further accelerated this trend thanks to their global reach. Viewers now witness a wider range of epic landscapes and historic locations, sparking curiosity and inspiring travel to film locations.
“[Netflix’s] subscribers were 2.4 times more likely to put a destination at the top of their travel list after seeing it in a show… something a tourist board can only dream of," says Welch about the streaming platform’s 2022 findings.
"Platforms can even track destination search spikes exactly when a new show drops...as seen with ‘Emily in Paris’ and ‘Bridgerton’," she adds.
This connection between storytelling and real-world exploration demonstrates the emotional pull of dreamy filming locations.
Audiences now want to physically step into the worlds they see on screen, as Gladiator II star Pedro Pascal observes, “location is everything when it comes to telling a story”.
Welch agrees: “The instantaneous process of watching a program on your preferred streaming platform has sped up the connection between ‘I love to watch’ to ‘I want to visit.’
Gladiator II is poised to be a transformative moment for Malta, offering the island a chance to solidify its status as a premier screen tourism destination.
Ridley Scott’s choice of Malta as a primary filming location for Gladiator II is both a tribute to the original film and a practical decision. With its historical architecture and strategic Mediterranean location, Malta effortlessly doubles as ancient Rome.
“Malta is a
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