Google searches for “where is Wuthering Heights filmed” surged 222% between February and April 2026. The spike tells a larger story about how Britons now choose where to holiday.
One in four people across the UK—25% according to new research from tour operator Evan Evans—have visited a real-world destination specifically because they saw it in a film adaptation of a book. The phenomenon has a name: set-jetting. And the data suggests it’s no longer a niche pursuit.
The survey of 2,006 adults, conducted by Mortar Research between 10th and 13th April, revealed that 83% want to visit at least one literary or film location. Not “might consider” or “would be interested.” Want to.
What drives them isn’t simply sightseeing.
Two in five—41%—said their main motivation is to “walk in the footsteps of the characters.” Around a quarter, 24%, explained that books and films make destinations feel more romantic or interesting than they would otherwise. For 17%, the appeal is the romance of visiting itself. This is pilgrimage dressed as tourism.
The shift cuts across media formats. Nearly a quarter, 23%, have been inspired to travel by a TV series, whilst 22% cited famous novels as their catalyst. Another 20% pointed to books studied at school—stories that burrowed into memory years before prompting a train ticket or hotel booking.
Kayon Hibbert, Guides Manager at Evan Evans, oversees tours to Windsor, Oxford and Bath. He’s watched the trend intensify. “Literature is inspiring more UK travel than ever,” Hibbert observed. “People aren’t just visiting destinations – they’re stepping into the worlds of beloved stories, where landscapes, cities and landmarks come alive with emotion and atmosphere. Screen adaptations are making those worlds feel even more tangible, inviting travellers to explore them for themselves.”
The company, which has operated since 1933, now offers what it calls a Literary Location Insight Pack—a response to demand that shows no sign of plateauing.
So where are people actually going?
Oxford leads, with 44% of respondents having visited the city for its literary connections. The Yorkshire Moors came second at 39%, followed by Windsor Castle and the Long Walk at Windsor Great Park with 36%. Bath claimed 33%, whilst Shakespeare’s Globe in London attracted 30%.
These aren’t obscure destinations suddenly thrust into the spotlight. They’re established tourist draws now experiencing a second wave of interest—this time fuelled by narrative rather than architecture or history alone. Oxford’s dreaming spires matter less than the fact Lyra Belacqua walked beneath them, or that Morse pieced together murders in their shadow.
The motivation reveals something about how people relate to place. Friends play a role—14% said they were influenced after someone they knew visited first. Social media adds another layer: 13% acknowledged that literary or filming locations make strong content for Instagram or TikTok. A smaller group, 5%, enjoy recreating scenes at iconic sites. Four per cent would consider proposing at a literary location, turning fiction’s emotional resonance into personal milestone.
That last detail might seem trivial. It isn’t. It shows how deeply storytelling now shapes not just travel itineraries but life events.
The trend mirrors patterns seen internationally over the past two decades. New Zealand’s tourism industry was transformed by The Lord of the Rings films. Dubrovnik in Croatia saw visitor numbers explode after Game of Thrones. What’s distinct about the current British surge is its breadth—not one blockbuster franchise driving traffic to a single location, but dozens of adaptations creating demand across the country.
Screen adaptations matter more than the original books alone. Whilst 22% cited famous novels as inspiration, the figure jumped to 25% when specifically asked about film adaptations. Moving images, it seems, make imagined places feel tangible in ways prose cannot quite achieve.
Evan Evans runs guided coach tours and private experiences across Britain, positioning itself within what’s become a crowded market for literary-themed travel. The company is part of The Travel Corporation, one of the world’s largest travel firms. Its tours connect locations associated with Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility to Oxford’s role in period dramas, and London’s Shakespearean heritage.
Whether the enthusiasm translates into sustained growth for tour operators remains uncertain. Literary tourism isn’t new—people have visited Stratford-upon-Avon for centuries, and the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth has drawn pilgrims since the 1890s. What’s changed is the speed at which adaptations can now generate demand, and the data tools that let companies track that interest in real time.
That 222% surge in searches for Wuthering Heights filming locations came in the weeks following renewed attention to the story—likely driven by a recent or upcoming adaptation. The pattern is predictable: adaptation announced or released, search interest spikes, bookings follow weeks or months later.
For tourism boards and local businesses in these locations, the challenge is converting that initial curiosity into repeat visits and longer stays. Someone who travels to the Yorkshire Moors seeking Heathcliff might spend an afternoon and leave. Turning them into visitors who return, who explore beyond the single iconic view, who spend money in local shops and restaurants—that’s the harder task.
The research suggests deep emotional investment drives these journeys. Walking where characters walked isn’t about selfies alone. It’s about testing whether the place matches the mental image built whilst reading or watching. Whether the moors really are that desolate. Whether Bath truly feels as genteel as Austen made it seem. Whether Oxford’s colleges live up to their fictional counterparts.
Sometimes reality disappoints. Sometimes it exceeds expectations.
What’s certain is that storytelling now functions as infrastructure for the British tourism industry—as important as transport links or hotel capacity. Every adaptation is a potential marketing campaign. Every compelling location in a bestselling novel or hit series becomes a destination whether it was designed for visitors or not.
By the time this article publishes, another adaptation will likely be in production, another location preparing for its moment as the next set-jetting hotspot. The cycle accelerates.
For now, tour operators are watching search trends, updating itineraries, and training guides to answer questions about which bench Colin Firth sat on, or where exactly that pivotal scene was filmed. The line between fiction and travel has blurred to the point where they’re almost indistinguishable.
Eighty-three per cent want to visit at least one literary location. That’s not a niche market. That’s the mainstream.