MILLIONS OF ADULTS BOOK A HOLIDAY AFTER BEING INSPIRED BY A MOVIE, ACCORDING TO TRAVEL REPUBLIC RESEARCH

More than one in five UK adults has booked a holiday just days after watching a movie, according to new research.

A nationwide poll found that 31 percent of those polled ventured to the Big Apple after watching the original chick-flick Breakfast at Tiffany's, the Sex and the City movie or 80s classic When Harry Met Sally. Which explains why almost half of UK adults name New York as the must see destination.

But the film that most inspires us to jet off to sunnier climes was the 2008 remake of the hit musical Mamma Mia, which is also Brit's favourite film to watch on a plane.

Nearly one in twenty of the 2,000 adults polled booked a beach holiday to the Greek island of Skopelos after falling in love with the blue skies and whitewashed Greek buildings.

The survey also revealed 14 percent of sun seeking individuals were inspired to visit Thailand after watching Leonardo DiCaprio in The Beach.

And a party loving 13 percent hotfooted it to Las Vegas after watching the outlandish antics of the 2009 film The Hangover.

The poll by Travel Republic revealed how influential films are to travel planning, as when watching a film half of Brits wish they were there and we spend nine hours a week dreaming of being somewhere else, with New York, Italy, Paris and Hawaii the destinations we dream about most.

Almost half of the adults polled said movies often inspired their choice of holiday and 35 percent regularly add film locations to their bucket list of places to visit.

Yesterday a spokeswoman for Travel Republic, which carried out the study of 2,000 adults said:

“Films like holidays, provide a great sense of escapism and our research has shown how influential films are in our travel planning.

Greece is a popular destination amongst our customers with an increase in bookings of 4% in the last three months*, so it is understandable that Mamma Mia has topped the list of influential films.”

And films have become an important part of our holiday experience, as over a third of Brits admit to watching films on holiday with an average of three films during a one week break.

The average person waits thirty days between watching a film and booking their flights, but 11 percent said they started saving for their trip straight away.

One in ten visited Italy after watching Russell Crowe in Gladiator and one in twenty holidayed in Jamaica after watching the 80s classic Cocktail with Tom Cruise.

Eight percent have stayed closer to home and booked a trip to Ireland after watching P.S I Love You and nearly one in ten went to visit London after watching the rom-com Notting Hill with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts.

Naomi Wilkinson, Marketing Director at Travel Republic added, “Watching a beautiful paradise scene on the big screen can spark wanderlust, and the results of this research have shown city locations are also popular, such as Las Vegas from The Hangover and New York from Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Based on this research, we have launched our 'Travel Republic Presents' guide on the best movie locations, including did you know facts and insider tips on how to enjoy holidays to these blockbuster destinations.”

The poll found 20 percent of stressed out people feel a sense of escapism when watching a movie set in a breathtaking location and a third of us regularly picture ourselves there.

So much so that 21 percent of those surveyed said they have recreated a scene from a film whilst holidaying in the place it was set. And we it seems we are a nation of romantics with popular scenes recreated from rom coms such as Notting Hill and PS I Love You.

For destination inspiration from some of the greatest movie blockbusters visit: https://www.travelrepublic.co.uk

TOP MOVIE HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS

1. Mamma Mia! - Greece
2. The Beach - Thailand
3. Harry Potter - Scottish Highlands
4. The Hangover - Las Vegas
5. Pirates of the Caribbean - The Caribbean islands
6. Breakfast at Tiffany's - New York
7. Sex and the City (The Movie) - New York
8. Gladiator - Italy
9. Casino Royal - The Bahamas
10. Notting Hill - London
11. Pretty Woman - Rodeo drive / Los Angeles
12. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Greece
13. When Harry Met Sally - New York
14. Ratatouille - Paris
15. S. I Love You - Ireland
16. The Sound of Music - Austria
17. Baywatch - California
18. Amélie - Paris, France
19. The Holiday - Los Angeles
20. Talented Mr Ripley - Italy
21. Kong Skull Island - Hawaii
22. Golden Eye - Monte Carlo
23. Trainspotting - Edinburgh
24. Eat, Pray, Love - Italy and or Bali
25. The Inbetweeners Movie - Majorca / Malia
26. Cocktail - Jamaica
27. A Fistful of Dollars - Spain
28. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol - Dubai
29. Before Sunset - Paris
30. Ghost in the Shell - Hong Kong
31. What We Did on Our Holiday - Scotland
32. True Romance - Mexico
33. Sideways - California
34. Lawrence of Arabia - Gran Canaria /Jordan

ENDS

Notes to editors

• Survey of over 2,000 respondents in the UK carried out by Ginger Communications on behalf of Travel Republic.
• With more than two million holidaymakers booking annually through their websites in the UK and Ireland, Travel Republic is one of the largest and most well-established online travel agents in Europe. With access to over 300,000 hotels, 200 airlines and over 1,000 destinations, Travel Republic offers a breadth of choice for holiday makers. They have been successfully helping people book their hotels, flights and other travel arrangements since 2003.

*Results based on number of bookings made to Greece between 3rd October 2017 and 2nd January 2018 in comparison to the same period in 2016.