Bookings on holidays to New York's Long Island set to soar with the launch of The Great Gatsby
 
To coincide with the opening of the new blockbuster film The Great Gatsby, filmed on New York's Long Island, new research has shown that people are hugely drawn to holiday destinations that they've seen in movies and TV shows, even if it's a disaster movie like Impossible - which tells a story of a family's horrendous experience during the 2004 tsunami in Thailand.
 
Last minute holiday website, Latedeals.co.uk quizzed the UK public on what influence movies have when it comes to booking holidays. It found that 84% of people were more likely to book a holiday destination after seeing it on the big screen.
 
Of those that had watched Impossible, only 13% said that they'd actually been put off by it. 49% of people questioned thought they were more likely to visit Thailand despite the terrifying nature of the film.
 
Lord of the Rings was the film that has influenced people the most according to the study, having famously showcased the beauty of New Zealand on three occasions. Next up was New York, with a number of people citing Sex and the City and Friends as key drivers in their decision. 
 
Old favourites such as The Sound of Music still inspire tourists to visit the beautiful mountains of Austria, with recent box office hits such as Skyfall sparking a new interest in destinations such as China.
 
The top ten films that have influenced British holidaymakers are:
 
1. Lord of the Rings - New Zealand
2. Sex and the City - New York
3. Mamma Mia - Greece
4. The Beach - Thailand
5. Skyfall - China
6. Memoirs of a Geisha - Japan
7. Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Barcelona
8. The Sound of Music - Austria
9. Ps I love You - Ireland
10. Midnight In Paris - Paris
 
Calum Macdonald from Latedeals.co.uk comments "We've all been under the spell of Hollywood for many years, and seeing gorgeous destinations on the big screen has a huge influence on our choice of holidays too. The Great Gatsby is likely to have the same effect - especially as it is a romantic story staring heart-throb Leonardo DiCaprio.
 
"Tourists are an adventurous breed though and we've seen over the years that natural disasters and political unrest may put travellers off temporarily but it's never long before they flock back to locations they really want to visit."

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